Measuring performance of night-time interfacility transport service

Eur J Emerg Med. 2012 Aug;19(4):264-6. doi: 10.1097/MEJ.0b013e32834b3448.

Abstract

The service reorganization is a part of the healthcare system reform. Some hospitals may not be able to provide all services in a 24-h basis. This evaluation was on all night-time (22 : 00 p.m. to 07 : 00 a.m.) interfacility transport by Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital emergency department from January 2008 to December 2010, which were in-patients from nonemergency wards. The safety, speed, and performance were analyzed. During the study period, 73 cases were transferred out. Majority of them were having neurosurgical emergency (n=21, 29%) or surgical emergency (n=34, 46%). En-route physiological deteriorations were encountered in 4% (3/73) of cases. The mean acceptance time was 8 min and the team mobilization time was 13 min on average. The total service time ranged from 40 to 115 min. In conclusion, en-route adverse event was not rare. The specialized team can act as a facilitator and coordinator to improve the safety and effectiveness of the whole process.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Critical Illness*
  • Efficiency, Organizational / statistics & numerical data*
  • Emergency Service, Hospital / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Glasgow Coma Scale
  • Hong Kong
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Professional Competence / statistics & numerical data*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Task Performance and Analysis*
  • Time
  • Transportation of Patients / statistics & numerical data*
  • Young Adult