Interfacility Transport of the Pediatric Patient

Abstract

In most developed countries, neonatal and pediatric healthcare is commonly regionalized to ensure a sufficient number of healthcare professionals with specialty expertise to deliver tailored care that meets individual patient requirements. Hence, children requiring tertiary level care will often need to be retrieved by specialised teams of clinicians with specific expertise in ‘Transport medicine’ bringing intensive care to the patient prior to transfer. In transferring the patient by land or air ambulance to the most appropriate destination within their region, transport specialists treat and stabilise the patient and ensure safety during transport. Therefore, it is imperative for all community-based health care providers to be cognisant of (1) which patients will benefit from an interfacility transport team, (2) what is the most appropriate composition and specialization of the team to provide the skill and equipment suited to the patient, (3) when and how to consult that team and (4) how to optimise the patient’s care prior to arrival of the team, taking into consideration whether an air or land transport will be required. This chapter provides evidence for transport team specialization and composition, required equipment and considerations for air and land ambulance transports as well as triage decisions and preliminary planning steps to ensure safe patient transport.