Transfer facilities for the seriously ill and injured

The handling of stretchers and trolleys plays an important part in the early management of seriously ill and injured patients. The design of such equipment should include the following features. Stretchers (or carrying sheets) should be interchangeable between the hospital and the ambulance service. They should be made of washable, unshrinkable, antistatic material and should be fitted with loops on either side to facilitate transfer by sliding and to enable them to be used also as carrying sheets when narrow staircases have to be negotiated. Hospital trolleys should be able to rise and fall (to allow transference by sliding on to a standard X-ray table) and to have a back rest hinged at 2 ft 9 in to facilitate erect X-ray examination of the chest. Such trolleys should also carry oxygen and suction, cotsides, dripstand and a tray for clothes and for a chest drainage bottle. Both carrying sheets and trolley tops should be completely pervious to X-rays. A plea is made for a more critical scrutiny of the facilities which are available for the transport of the ill and injured, both inside and outside the hospital.