[Physician-assisted interhospital transfer-an analysis from Schleswig-Holstein]

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Critical Care Transport
• Logistics in Healthcare

Context:

• The increasing demand for interhospital transport (IHT) of intensive care patients necessitates efficient operational planning.
• Changes in the healthcare landscape are driving the need for sophisticated patient transfer strategies.
• Interhospital transports present unique logistical challenges for emergency medical services.

Purpose:

• To analyze the scope and patterns of emergency physician-assisted interhospital transports (IHT).
• To evaluate the utilization of primary care and specialized ambulances in IHT.
• To identify needs for optimizing IHT services within the Schleswig-Holstein region.

Summary:

• A 1.4% of 158,823 emergency medical service missions involved interhospital transports (IHT).
• Specialized ambulances handled 61.4% of IHT, while primary care ambulances managed 38.6%, often for time-critical transfers outside intensive care ambulance hours.
• 43.1% of IHT were transfers to higher-level care facilities, with 21.2% utilizing air transport.

Impact:

• Findings highlight the significant role of IHT in emergency medical services, involving both primary and specialized resources.
• The study suggests a need to expand air-based transfer capacities for nighttime emergency transports.
• Recommendations include adjusting specialized ground-based vehicle capacities for less urgent IHT in Schleswig-Holstein.