The safety of critically ill people in intra-hospital transport - scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: The intra-hospital transport of critically ill patients has become an increasingly studied issue due to its complexity. The occurrence of adverse events during transport has been rising, highlighting the need to develop strategies to prevent and minimize them. Objective: To identify strategies that nurses can use to enhance the safety of critically ill patients during intra-hospital transport. Methods: A scoping review was conducted, with a search carried out on the B-On and EBSCOhost platforms, considering articles published between 2019 and 2023. The search terms used were “intrahospital transport,” “critically ill,” and “nurse.” Results: Following the search, seven primary studies from various countries were selected, all of which met methodological quality criteria for inclusion in this study. The analysis identified two key strategies for improving intra-hospital transport safety: continuous training and the use of checklists. Conclusion: Implementing these strategies significantly improves the quality and safety of intra-hospital transport, and they should be used in a complementary manner.

Keywords

• medical-surgical nursing; critically ill patient; intra-hospital transport; safety