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Critical Care
Published in: Critical Care 1/2015

01-12-2015 | Review

Transferring the critically ill patient: are we there yet?

Authors: Joep M Droogh, Marije Smit, Anthony R Absalom, Jack JM Ligtenberg, Jan G Zijlstra

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

During the past few decades the numbers of ICUs and beds has increased significantly, but so too has the demand for intensive care. Currently large, and increasing, numbers of critically ill patients require transfer between critical care units. Inter-unit transfer poses significant risks to critically ill patients, particularly those requiring multiple organ support. While the safety and quality of inter-unit and hospital transfers appear to have improved over the years, the effectiveness of specific measures to improve safety have not been confirmed by randomized controlled trials. It is generally accepted that critically ill patients should be transferred by specialized retrieval teams, but the composition, training and assessment of these teams is still a matter of debate. Since it is likely that the numbers and complexity of these transfers will increase in the near future, further studies are warranted.
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Metadata
Title
Transferring the critically ill patient: are we there yet?
Authors
Joep M Droogh
Marije Smit
Anthony R Absalom
Jack JM Ligtenberg
Jan G Zijlstra
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Critical Care / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-015-0749-4

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