[Application of folding transfer shelf in the transportation of critically ill patients].

Objective: To explore the application of folding transfer shelf in the transportation of critically ill patients.

Methods: Patients transferred from the emergency department to the intensive care unit (ICU) admitted to the First Hospital of Jiaxing from January 1st to December 31st in 2019 were enrolled. The patients were divided into study group and control group by whether or not using the self-developed folding transfer shelf. The incidence of adverse events, the stability rate of vital signs and the transport time were compared between the two group.

Results: A total of 437 patients were enrolled in the study, with 222 in the study group (which used the self-developed folding transfer shelf) and 215 in the control group (which used the conventional stretcher). The baseline data such as gender, age, disease status and disease severity were balanced between the two groups. The stability rate of vital signs in the study group was higher than that in the control group (89.19% vs. 82.33%, P < 0.05). The transfer time in the study group was shorter than that in the control group (minutes: 6.39±1.35 vs. 7.61±1.34, P < 0.01). The total incidence of adverse transport events in the study group was lower than that in the control group (2.25% vs. 10.23%, P < 0.01). The incidence of miscarriage of emergent materials and instrument falling in the study group were lower than those in the control group (0% vs. 2.79%, 0% vs. 2.33%, both P < 0.05).

Conclusions: The folding transfer shelf could reduce the transport risk of critical ill patients, especially the risk of miscarriage and falling of rescue instrument. The application of folding transfer shelf could regulate the management of transport, keep the vital signs of patients stable during transport, shorten the transport time, and facilitate an efficient and high-quality transport.