Patient transport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patient transport is a service that transfers patients to and from medical facilities in non-emergency situations.
In emergency situations, patients are transported by the emergency medical services. Non-emergency patient transport is sometimes run by the same agency. It is typically provided to a patient who needs to be transferred to a facility that can provide a higher or more specialised level of care, though emergency services may be summoned if this is urgent. It may also be used to transfer patients from a specialised facility to a local hospital or nursing home when they no longer require this specialised care, such as following successful cardiac catheterisation due to a heart attack. Some countries also offer the service to patients who cannot make their own way to or from the hospital.
Patient transport services are provided in the United States to convey patients to hospitals. The vehicles used are not usually (although there are exceptions) equipped with life-support equipment and are usually crewed by staff with fewer qualifications than the crew of emergency ambulances. Their purpose is simply to transport patients to, from, or between places of treatment. The vehicle is called an ambulette.[1] These services are often provided by ambulance services using non-emergency vehicles but may be subject to tendering processes.
