Data variables reported during neonatal transport: a systematic literature review

Area of Science:

• Neonatal intensive care
• Transport medicine
• Clinical data standardization

Background:

• Neonatal transports are vital for accessing specialized intensive care for critically ill and premature infants.
• Current practices lack consensus on core physiological variables, clinical parameters, and quality metrics for transport guidance and system governance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review data variables reported during neonatal transports.
• To assess the uniformity and transferability of these variables across existing studies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review methodology.
• Inclusion of 108 studies for final data extraction and quality appraisal.

Main Results:

• Significant heterogeneity was observed across the included studies.
• A wide variation in registered variables and frequent lack of uniform definitions were identified.

Conclusions:

• Consensus on a defined set of variables for registration is needed.
• International implementation of standardized variables can enhance safety, effectiveness, and quality of care for vulnerable neonates during transport.