Today our topic of discussion is Transfer Procedure .
Transfer Procedure
The patient is usually hospitalized in the same department from which they are discharged. The health condition changes in some patients so much that they are transferred and treated by another department or another treatment unit of the same or different department or in the same or another healthcare facility.
Definition
Transfer is defined as preparing patient, completing necessary records and shifting patient to another department within the hospital or to another hospital/home. Transfer/referral are the preparation of a patient and the referral records to shift the patient to other department
within the hospital or to another hospital.
Purpose
- To obtain necessary diagnostic tests and procedure To provide treatment and nursing care
- To provide specialized care
- To place most appropriate utilization or available personnel and services
- To match intensity of nursing care based on patients level of needs and problems.
Preparation Includes
- An explanation of the transfer to the patient and his family
- Discussion of the patient’s condition and care plan with the staff at the receiving unit or facility
- Arrangements for transportation, if necessary.
Types of Transfer of the Patient
- Internal transfer: To transfer the patient in a unit that provides special care or care suited to his needs, e.g. from general ward to ICU (Fig. 7.5)
- External transfer: To transfer the patient from one hospital to other hospital for the purpose of special care, e.g. from general hospital to specialized hospital- cancer centre.
Preliminary Assessment
- Assess the method for transport, inform receiving nurse
- Maintain patient’s physical well being during transport to new nursing unit
- Provide verbal report about patient’s condition to the receiving unit nurse
- Be sure all documentation including care plan is completed
- Assist patient’s arrival to the new unit
- Announce patient’s arrival to the new unit
- Transport patient to a new room and assist in transfer to bed
- Hand over to receiving nurse.
Equipment
- Wheelchair/stretcher
- Identification labels
- Patients belongings
- X-rays, Investigation reports,Patient records and file.
Procedure
- Explain the transfer to the patient and his family. If the patient is anxious about the transfer or his condition precludes patient teaching, be sure to explain the reason for the transfer to his family members, especially if the transfer is the result of a serious change in the patient’s condition. Assess his physical condition to determine the means of transfer, such as a wheelchair or a stretcher
- Using the admissions inventory of belongings as a checklist, collect the patient’s property. Be sure to check the entire room, including the closet, bedside stand, over bed table, and bathroom
- Gather the patient’s medications from the cart and the refrigerator. If the patient is being transferred to another unit, send the medications to the receiving unit; if he is: being transferred to another facility, return them to the pharmacy
- Notify the business office and other appropriate departments of the transfer
- Have a staff person notify the dietary department, the pharmacy, and the facility telephone operator about the transfer (if within the facility)
- Contact the nursing staff on the receiving unit about the patient’s condition and drug regimen and review the patient’s nursing care plan with them to ensure continuity of care.
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