Health Professional Perspectives on Communication and Monitoring During Interfacility Neonatal Transport

Abstract

Adverse events occur in a majority of pediatric critical care ambulance transports. For neonatal interfacility transports in particular, Medical Control Physicians overseeing the transfer are located remotely and must respond to referrals, updates, and questions over the phone. Technology options not currently utilized for neonatal interfacility transport may enhance communication and monitoring before and/or during transit. To identify the most beneficial new technologies, two activities were performed with the health professionals involved in transport: interviews and design workshops. The individual interviews focused on current processes and communication preferences. The design workshops brought together an interprofessional group of health professionals involved in transport to discuss an idealized state of transport and agree on priorities for the greatest needs to address. Health professionals agreed that the most desirable technologies enable remote vital sign monitoring, enable remote video visibility of the patient, and aid in the decision on where to send the patient.