Referral

EMTs must have protocols in place for patient referral and transfer to deliver quality care outcomes for patients through effective coordination between referring and receiving health facilities and ensuring safety and protection aspects for staff and patients.

Effective set up of patient referral and transfer processes are considered one of the fundamental aspects of quality patient care. EMTs should ensure that patient referral and transfer is bolstered by clear transportation and communication channels as well as compliance and accountability mechanisms between referring and receiving health facilities. Safety and risk mitigation measures should be in place for the protection of staff and patients. Staff involved should be well versed in applying such protocols and procedures to reduce inappropriate system use.

Staff accompanying critical patients should be experienced and suitably trained in patient transfer and management of advanced cardiac life support, airway management and critical care.

EMTs have established triage systems for prioritizing patients by clinical need. This includes day-to-day service provision as well as mass casualty situations.

Each EMT has adopted a triage system that allows prioritizing and classifying patients according to the type and urgency of their conditions. The chosen triage system must ensure each patient has a unique patient identifier. Specific attention is given to infectious disease presentations and mass casualty incidents where the triage system must be adapted to ensure better management and classification of patients.

Consider context, availability, suitability (ground, air) and contingency plans to identify the appropriate mode(s) of transport.