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Modes Of Transport

Transferring patients can be done in many different ways in many different environments, each with their own challenges. Worldwide there are many interesting solutions, which we’ll learn more about as …

Spot The Mistakes!

Watch this video of a transfer team simulating a chaotic packaging sequence. Consider what areas could have been improved before reading on. We’re sure you have spotted a whole load …

Mind Over Mater-nal Transfer

In this section on obstetric transfers, Dr Karin Anneliese Fox, associate professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas, USA) and Medical Director of maternal transport …

Is There Risk?

Every transfer poses a risk to the patient and the staff accompanying them. In this video, we explore one way of understanding, identifying and classifying the types of risks that …

Pearls Of Packaging Wisdom

In this article, Dr Arndt Melzer, anaesthetic consultant and lead of the North Central London Adult Critical Transfer Service (NCL-ACTS) shares his tips for packaging critical care patients for transfer. …

Unwelcome Passengers: Transferring Infection

So far in the previous clinical cases we’ve seen examples of risks to the patient due to physiological deterioration, equipment failure and inadequate preparation, but we should remember that the …

Transfer Epidemiology

In this article, we introduce some of the data available on transfer medicine. The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how important critical care transfer teams can be to decompress hospitals and …

Pre-Departure Checklist

There are a few key points to learn from this video for the performance of a pre-transfer checklist. You may have observed: the team all paused to go through the …

Securing Onto The Stretcher

You have to protect the patient throughout the journey and prevent injuries. The only safe way of fixing a supine adult who is transported in the direction of travel in …

Debriefing After Transfer

It makes sense to debrief every transfer; without this a mission is not complete. It may be tempting to skip this part of the transfer as the work is done, …

Handover

The main aim of the handover is to bring the receiving clinicians up to speed quickly with the critically-ill patient to ensure continuity of care. This is a crucial moment, …

Taking A Referral

When transferring patients between critical care units, the decision to transfer is the joint responsibility of the referring and receiving consultants at each unit. Once this decision has been agreed, …

Equipment Check

When starting a new shift, the team should come together to check all the equipment. Transfer is a fast-paced environment and teams need to be ready to launch at a …

Morning Brief

The team brief is one of the most important aspects of a safe transfer. The team allocate specific roles for the day or mission. It is important to establish the …

Paediatric Equipment Is Not Just Smaller

In addition to the usual equipment required for safe inter-hospital patient transfer, paediatric intensive care transportation has a number of specific equipment considerations… Airway Equipment Paediatric patients require appropriately sized …