Introduction: Interhospital transport is an important healthcare activity in pediatrics and an effective way that gives newborns access to the highest level of health care, and consequently reduces their mortality and morbidity. With the help of highly trained transport teams, each critically ill newborn can be relocated from regional and maternity hospitals to an institution with the highest level of medical care. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma thesis is to identify and present the role of a nurse in the interhospital transport of a critically ill newborn through a literature review. The aims of the diploma thesis are: to examine the reasons for activating the transport team; to determine the effects of the transport on the vital signs, the health status and the feeling of the newborn; to present the necessary equipment for the transport and to describe the role of a nurse in the preparation and transport of a critically ill newborn. Methods: In the diploma thesis we used a descriptive method of research. We made a critical review of domestic and forgeign literature in the field of neonatology, pediatrics, emergency medicine and nursing care. Foreign articles were found in the online databases CINAHL, Medline, PubMed, Science Direct etc., while the Slovenian ones were found the journals and in the conference proceedings in the field of nursing and medicine. The literature used was published between the years 2007 and 2018. Results: We found that the reason for referring newborns to treatment in tertiary centres is the lack of adequately trained personnel and equipment in regional and maternity hospitals. Neonates usually need transfer to a tertiary level due to the need for diagnostics, surgery or treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit. The transport of newborns, especially prematurely born, presents stress for them and may be the reason for deterioration of health status. The nurse has many important tasks in preparing and transporting the patient, the purpose of which is to bring the newborn as quickly and safley as possible to the final destination without any deterioration in the state of health. Discussion and conclusion: A good theoretical and practical knowledge of a nurse is important for identifying potential risks of transport and for quality health care at the time of preparing and transporting a newborn with the life-threatening condition.
|