Patient Transportation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 can be transmitted by several methods, which are droplet, contact, and aerosol transmission. This emerging infectious disease has no specific treatment, vaccines, or medical prophylaxis. As a result, health care workers have a higher risk of infection, especially on inter-hospital patient transferring, which causes the close-contact situation in confined space without good ventilating airflow. Proper pre-transferring evaluation of the patient and equipment preparation is essential for preventing unpredicted events that cause aerosol-generating procedures (AGP). Thus, if a patient is at risk of deterioration between transferring, early intubation in hospital is preferred due to better infection controls. Bronchodilators should be given by metered-dose inhaler (MDI) via spacer instead of nebulization. Furthermore, considering the safety of health care personnel, suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical in the scarce situation, which is as vital as the standard of practice and training on the operations, communications, and cleanings.