ABSTRACT

The aim of transferring a critically ill patient to the critical care unit is to improve prognosis. Critically ill patients have a high risk of morbidity and mortality during transportation. Patients who have been transferred within departments have received sub-optimal care (Gray et al., 2003). Through better preparation for the transfer and improved communication, many of the problems that occurred could be avoided (Ligtenberg et al., 2005). Transferring a patient from the critical care unit to the ward is also not without its problems. Trust guidelines on transferring patients to and from departments should now be readily available. Equally, guidance for patients being transferred to other hospitals (mainly from critical care units and accident and emergency) should also be accessible. This chapter will discuss procedures in transferring critically ill patients from the ward to a critical care unit and the ward receiving acutely ill patients from critical care units.