The transport of critically ill children

Abstract 

The UK has traditionally maintained a high level of services in district general hospitals, but paediatric intensive care and other low-volume services are now increasingly being provided in centralized units, and the importance of the safe and efficient transport of critically ill patients is being increasingly recognized. This is most effectively delivered by centrally based expert teams with specialized equipment. Extremely ill patients can be transferred with minimal risk. Centralized systems should function as clinical networks with easy communication between clinicians in specialized and general units. Centralized systems do not ‘de-skill’ general hospital clinicians, but care is needed to identify correctly which patients will benefit from transfer in this way. The safety of staff is sometimes neglected in the transfer of patients. New legislation concerning the nature and fixation of equipment within vehicles and a reduced emphasis on speed are contributing to increased safety.

Keywords: child, human, critical illness, paediatric intensive care units, United Kingdom, morbidity, patient transport, air transport, patient care team, service organization, safety

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• f1 Correspondence to: DH. Tel.: +44 141 201 0000; Fax: +44 141 201 0838; E-mail: david.hallworth@yorkhill.scot.nhs.uk