Who's moving the children? Pediatric transport: selection, education, and management

Moving patients through the maze of available services within the health care system is, at best, complex. When the patient is a child and that child is seriously ill, the situation progresses from complex to critical. The expeditious and safe transport of a seriously ill child is generally assigned to a specifically designated and trained group of health care professionals. Although such transport is essential, only a few sources could be found in the literature that described the role preparation, function, or management of a pediatric transport team. Therefore, this study was undertaken to collect information from institutions that provide transport services for neonatal and pediatric patients. The purpose was to identify national trends, describe the composition and functional aspects of the transport team, and identify criteria used for selection, orientation, and training of team members. Representatives of 56 geographical and administratively diverse institutions responded to a structured telephone interview. Findings revealed two functionally distinct types of transport teams: dedicated (N = 38) and unit based (N = 18). Included in the data obtained were types and numbers of patients transported, average response time and distance, personnel composition, and educational and experiential standards for staff and management.