Internal Patient Transport - Process

[Travelbug73]

I am wondering what the general practice is (if any at all) for transporting patients within the hospital to other departments temporarily.

Currently we utilize bedside report for OR and ED transfers, but when patients go to Xray, IR, MRI, etc. we do not accompany the transporter. We simply print out a form from the EMR to send with the transporter. This form includes patient information: name, DOB, Code Status, weight, admission date, medical problems (all - not just the reason for admission), IV lines, Isolation, fall risk, gaurdianship (if applicable), diet, oxygen device and patient level of orientation.

We are looking to revamp our form, toss it and doing something different. Everyone agrees the information is good, but finding out that nobody is even looking at it (big waste of paper).

Looking for ideas of how this process occurs in other institutions.

Thanks

[linzjane88]

We have patient transporters who come get the patient and they take the entire chart with them when they goand being it back with the patient. I work on OB though so we are usually the odd man out.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

That is a lot of information for straightforward ancillary testing -- I'm not surprised that "no one" is looking at it.

[Racer15, BSN, RN]

If it's a patient just going to MRI, CT, or X-Ray, we just fill out a hand-off form with code status, fall risks, that sort of thing, and a tech takes them. Unless they are critical, then a nurse must accompany them. Transporting to the floors only requires a tech. Transporting to one of the units requires an ACLS certified nurse, and the patient must be hooked to a monitor. I only get frustrated when the transporter/tech does not check with me before taking a patient. A few days ago I was tied up for about 20 minutes in a room with a dementia patient that had to have a whole work-up...foley, NG tube, blood, etc...a hot mess and it wasn't my patient but it took about four nurses to handle them. In that time frame, the MD ordered a CT with contrast for one of my patients, and a tech took them, without bothering to check that a consent had been signed. I came out of the other room as they were hooking my patient back to the monitor and asked where they had been...was less than happy when they told me they had gone to CT. I like that I don't have to spend time transporting folks when I am busy, but I get crabby when my patients get taken out of the ED for tests when I'm not notified. Just because it was ordered doesn't mean I'm ok with my patient leaving the floor.

[michigansapphire]

Our ticket to ride includes:

Nurse's name and phone extension

Pt's code status

Oriented/Disoriented

Able to stand alone/with 1 assist/with 2 assist/unable to stand

Problems with vision/hearing/speech/language

Latex allergy?

O2 needs during transport

Can they go off tele monitoring during transport?

The ticket is cosigned by transporter and nurse when the pt is picked up and again when the pt returns.

If the pt cannot go off tele, or if they are on 6L or more of O2, or if certain drips are hanging, they must have a nurse go with them.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

No transport department when I worked in the hospital. If your patient had to go to CT, MRI, IR, the OR or any appointment in another part of the hospital (like ophthalmology) you had to take them unless you could convince a CNA to do it. Most of the time, it was easier to just to it yourself. Then, of course, you'd get yelled at for spending too much time doing non-nursing tasks.