Transporting ICU patients

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi,

I posted this on the radiology site but I need more feedback for a meeting. In our hospital it is current practice to have the radiology nurses transport the ICU patients for any imaging study. We feel this is unsafe for the patient because we don't know them. Is this common in any other hospitals?

Thanks,

Deb

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

In the ICU I work for the nurse caring for the pt takes the pt to and from tests that can't be done on the floor. If we have to for example take a pt to CT then we go to with assist or transport team and RT as necessary. Or our facility has a ICU team called TACT and they will take the pt to MRI,CT,Nuc med and etc. TACT dosen't know the pt either and we give them a report and have the pt ready to go connected to the monitor. TACT is a awesome tool when you have one that needs to go to MRI and another pt you can't really leave due to BP issue or whatever.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU, Neuro/Trauma stepdown.
In the ICU I work for the nurse caring for the pt takes the pt to and from tests that can't be done on the floor. If we have to for example take a pt to CT then we go to with assist or transport team and RT as necessary. Or our facility has a ICU team called TACT and they will take the pt to MRI,CT,Nuc med and etc. TACT dosen't know the pt either and we give them a report and have the pt ready to go connected to the monitor. TACT is a awesome tool when you have one that needs to go to MRI and another pt you can't really leave due to BP issue or whatever.

they really just have to come with some ACLS handy, but your code would go alot better if there was somebody there who knew what was going on with the patient.

we have to take go with our patients, in the ICU or not and at night we physically have to take them and be the nurse...

(no transport team at night). :pumpiron:

it's a real pain, IMO.

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.

In both ICUs I have worked in, the ICU nurse takes the patient to the procedure and stays with the patient. We are lucky to find someone to even help push the bed. If the patient is vented, then respiratory will accompany me.

It is unfortunate for your other patient you are leaving behind. If you are lucky someone will step up and do the things you should be doing to the other patient while you are in interventional radiology, (or wherever).

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

TACT is for ICU/CCU patients transport and rapid response. They are trained ICU nurses and have ACLS. In most cases we do go with our own patients, because on nights TACT team nurses are pulled to float the ICUS with a patient assignment of their own.

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Thank you so much. That really helps!

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Specializes in Nurses who are mentally sicked.
Hi,

I posted this on the radiology site but I need more feedback for a meeting. In our hospital it is current practice to have the radiology nurses transport the ICU patients for any imaging study. We feel this is unsafe for the patient because we don't know them. Is this common in any other hospitals?

Thanks,

Deb

It is unfair for the radiology nurse.

In our hospital, any ICU patients must be escorted by an escort and a M.D.

If patient is inturbated, we add one more respiratory therapist.

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