Paediatric inter-hospital transportation: a clinical governance project

Nonurgent Pediatric Interhospital Transfers: A Narrative Enquiry of Nurses' Experiences in Australia

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to explore nonurgent pediatric interhospital transfers through the lens of nurses' experiences and perceptions when undertaking these transfers.

METHODS

Using a narrative inquiry approach, data were collected via semistructured interviews with registered nurses (N = 7) who had experience undertaking patient transfers between nonurgent low-acuity and urgent high-acuity hospital settings.

RESULTS

Findings established the following 8 themes: ensuring transfer preparation for risk mitigation, practicing confident advocacy, being accountable for risk mitigation of the deteriorating patient during transfer, maintaining standardized procedure, using training and mentorship to support confidence, maintaining interhospital and intrahospital relationships, recognizing the significance of transfer on families, and acknowledging the burden of transfer and delay.

DISCUSSION

By exploring the stories and experiences of emergency nurses who undertake pediatric interhospital transfers, a deep investigation of the risks and challenges has been described, an area often underrepresented in the literature. Findings from this study highlight important learnings for pediatric interhospital transfer that add value to the wider body of evidence.

Development of a nurse-led transport service for non-critical neonates and children in Northern Ireland

While the transport and retrieval of critically ill children has been extensively researched and audited, nurse-led repatriation and retrieval of non-critical children and neonates has only recently become a full-time nursing position in Northern Ireland. In January 2020, the Northern Ireland Specialist Transport and Retrieval (NISTAR) service developed a nurse-led transport team for this patient population and created a new role - the non-critical paediatric transport nurse - which incorporates the skills of a children's nurse. The aim of the service is to transport children and neonates safely between the regional paediatric unit and local district general hospital paediatric wards in Northern Ireland. The nurse-led service also transfers children with non-critical complex cardiac conditions between paediatric wards in Northern Ireland and the national centre for paediatric cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery in Dublin, Ireland. This article describes the role of the nurse-led transport team and discusses clinical governance, training requirements and the safe transfer of children with complex cardiac conditions. The NISTAR team won the child health category at the 2021 RCN Nursing Awards.