title: An educational measure to significantly increase critical knowledge regarding interfacility patient transfers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patient transfers among medical facilities are high-risk situations. Despite this, there is very little training of physicians regarding the medical and legal aspects of transport medicine.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of a one hour, educational intervention on Emergency Medicine (EM) residents' and Critical Care (CC) fellows' knowledge regarding the medical and legal aspects of interfacility patient transfers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prior to the intervention, physician knowledge regarding 12 key concepts in patient transfer was assessed using a pre-test instrument. A one hour, interactive, educational session followed immediately thereafter. Following the intervention, a post-intervention test was given between two and four weeks after delivery. Participants were also asked to describe any prior transportation-medicine-related education, their opinions as they relate to the relevance of the topic, and their comfort levels with patient transfers before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only a minority of participants had received any formal training in patient transfers prior to the intervention, despite dealing with patient transfers on a frequent, often daily, basis. Both groups improved in several categories on the post-intervention test. They reported improved comfort levels with the medicolegal aspects of interfacility patient transfers after the intervention and felt well-prepared to manage transfers in their daily practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A one hour, educational intervention objectively increased EM and CC physician trainees' understanding of some of the medicolegal aspects of interfacility patient transfers. The study demonstrated a lack of previous training on this important topic and improved levels of comfort with transfers after study participation.
authors: 1Department of Emergency Medicine,University of Michigan,Ann Arbor,MichiganUSA.
authors: Torben K
authors: TK
authors: Becker
authors: 1Department of Emergency Medicine,University of Michigan,Ann Arbor,MichiganUSA.
authors: James F
authors: JF
authors: Skiba
authors: 1Department of Emergency Medicine,University of Michigan,Ann Arbor,MichiganUSA.
authors: Cemal B
authors: CB
authors: Sozener
mesh_terms: D003697:Delphi Technique; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010360:Patient Transfer
keywords: CC Critical Care; EM Emergency Medicine; EMS Emergency Medical Services; EMS-SICK-PT An Educational Measure to Significantly Increase Critical Knowledge Regarding Interfacility Patient Transfers; EMTALA; EMTALA Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act; VAS visual analogue scale; critical care; patient transfer; transportation medicine