Intrahospital Transport of the Critically Ill Adult: A Standardized Evaluation Plan.

Intrahospital transport of the critically ill adult carries inherent risks that can be manifested as unexpected events.The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation of a standardized evaluation plan for intrahospital transports to/from adult intensive care units.Nurses at a level I trauma/academic center captured clinical data throughout transport. Outcome measures included compliance with the organization's transport policy and unexpected events.There were 502 transports audited. Most nurses were compliant with the policy, except for the stabilization process (n = 174, 34.7%). Forty-one transports (8.2%) had an unexpected event, and 11 of these transports (26.8%) were aborted. Most of the events were hemodynamic (12), sedation (11), respiratory (10), and gastrointestinal (5). Fewer events occurred with the transport team (P = .036) and among nurses with a bachelor of science in nursing or higher degree (P = .002). Events were higher among transporting nurses with only 0 to 2 years of intensive care unit experience (P = .002), "stabilized" transports (P = .022), and patients with higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation scores (P = .009).Health care organizations should have a policy that includes both transport and evaluation plans for intrahospital transport. Guidelines should be revised with specific criteria for the stabilization process and unexpected events. Revision should also have a standardized evaluation plan that includes an audit tool to measure incidence of unexpected events and a rapid change quality improvement method.

Duke Scholars

Author Michael Edward Zychowicz School of Nursing

Author Mary Thomson Champagne School of Nursing

Author Deirdre KIing Thornlow School of Nursing