Check patient’s status before transporting
When transporting a patient, pay careful attention to the airway, breathing, and circulatory status, and consider any disabilities a patient may have, emphasizes Timothy Murphy, RN, MSN, APN, C, CS, CEN, trauma program manager at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ. "You should assess the patient’s current status, and anticipate needs both en route and at the destination," he adds. Murphy gives the following checklist of things to consider when assessing a patient for transport:
Airway.
- Is the airway patent?
- Is there a potential for any obstruction, such as a patient with an altered level of consciousness?
- Are there any secretions such as blood, mucous, or saliva?
- Is the patient nauseous and at risk for vomiting?
- Should the patient have an adjunct to keep his or her airway open (for example, oralpharyngeal, nasopharyngeal airway, or endotracheal tube)?
Breathing.
- Does the patient have any difficulty breathing?
- Is the patient being assisted with a ventilator?
- Does the patient have a chest tube?
- Does the patient need a pulse oximeter or other monitoring of their respiratory status?
Circulation.
- Does the patient have a pulse?
- Does the patient have any arrhythmias?
- Does the patient need to be on a cardiac monitor?
- Are there any signs of shock?
- Does the patient need IV fluids, blood pressure monitoring, or any other hemodynamic monitoring?
- Does the patient have any bleeding that requires ongoing monitoring or intervention?
Disability.
- What is the patient’s level of consciousness?
- If impaired, does it present any safety problems for the patient? (For example, could the patient harm himself/herself by rolling off a stretcher?)
- Can the patient protect his/her own airway?
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