. 2019 Jul 3;40(3):394–403. doi: 10.1038/s41372-019-0409-7

Table 3.

Recommended areas of growth to improve outcomes of emergent neonatal transports

Recommended areas for growth
Dedicated transport services	Overall, dedicated transport teams are composed of providers who have significant experience working together and the opportunity to maintain their skills as a team. While having a dedicated team may not be feasible for a hospital, restricting in house responsibilities for certain personnel, thereby creating a dedicated transport staff, may improve expediency and efficiency.
Transfer centers	Transfer centers streamline communication and ensure all requisite intake information is collected. The use of call centers reduces the number of phone calls between referral and receiving hospitals, thereby helping to expedite the time to departure.
Telemedicine	• Videoconferencing initiated by the referral hospital helps the neonatologist at the receiving hospital and the transport team evaluate and manage the patient remotely. • Integrated electronic medical record between referral and receiving hospitals ensures free flow of real-time information, saves time, and improves communication and care coordination. • Use of a smartphone with video capabilities during transport helps the neonatologist visualize the patient while the transport team is en route to the receiving hospital. • Webcam access may help alleviate parents’ anxiety

Recommended areas for growth

Dedicated transport services

Overall, dedicated transport teams are composed of providers who have significant experience working together and the opportunity to maintain their skills as a team. While having a dedicated team may not be feasible for a hospital, restricting in house responsibilities for certain personnel, thereby creating a dedicated transport staff, may improve expediency and efficiency.

Transfer centers

Transfer centers streamline communication and ensure all requisite intake information is collected. The use of call centers reduces the number of phone calls between referral and receiving hospitals, thereby helping to expedite the time to departure.

Telemedicine

• Videoconferencing initiated by the referral hospital helps the neonatologist at the receiving hospital and the transport team evaluate and manage the patient remotely.

• Integrated electronic medical record between referral and receiving hospitals ensures free flow of real-time information, saves time, and improves communication and care coordination.

• Use of a smartphone with video capabilities during transport helps the neonatologist visualize the patient while the transport team is en route to the receiving hospital.

• Webcam access may help alleviate parents’ anxiety