title: Risk stratification in providing inter-facility transport: Experience from a specialized transport team.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of Inter-facility transport (IFT) of patients is an emerging specialty requiring service reorganization, diversion of major trauma to trauma center. This study aimed to determine the patients who are more prone to en route adverse event during the period of 22:00 to 07:00, based on critical in-patient needs provided by the Emergency Department (ED) nursing staff at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included all 22:00 to 07:00 IFTs accompanied by ED nurses at AHNH for a period of 28 months from August 2006 until December 2008. The transports were reviewed for: (1) age, (2) gender, (3) transport configuration, (4) clinical category, and (5) physiological instability before transport.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 79 patients were transported during the 22:00 to 07:00 timeframe within the study period. The types of patients were mainly neurosurgical emergencies (n=32; 40.5%), surgical emergencies (n=28; 35.4%), and upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) (n=11; 13.9%). En route adverse events were encountered by the accompanying nurses in 16 transports (20.3%) with a higher incidence of adverse events during transport of surgical emergencies, UGIB and patients who were physiological unstable before transport (P< 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A specialized transport team from the ED can assist other clinical departments by providing expert care during IFT. In spite of the high quality of care, adverse events do commonly occur.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: Lly
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: Wyl
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: Kl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalinowski
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: Syh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Lee LLY, Lo WYL, Yeung KL, Chan JTS); Department of Emergency Medical Services, Kapiolani Community College, University of Hawaii, Honolulu Hawaii(Kalinowski E); Emergency Department, Pok Oi Hospital (Tang SYH).
authors.forename: Jts
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chan
keywords: Hong Kong; Inter-facility transport; Specialized transport team