Q What important step must be considered before transferring a patient from one facility to another?
A Renee Holleran, RN, PhD, CEN, CCRN, and Carol Rhoades, RN, BSN, reply:
Several things should be considered to determine how to safely transfer a patient from one institution to another, including:
indications for transfer,
the best mode of transport,
who should provide care during the transport,
legal implications of transfer and transport, and
accepting physician.
A patient may require transfer to another facility because of 3 main reasons: (1) the resources at the referring facility are not adequate to manage the patient, (2) the benefits outweigh the risk of transfer, and (3) the patient or family may request a transfer.1 Once the need for transport has been determined, a receiving facility and physician must be identified.
The Emergency Medical Treatment and...