A consensus to determine the ideal critical care transfer bag

Abstract

Background Familiarity with environment, processes and equipment reduces the risk inherently associated with critical care transfers. Therefore, the North West London Critical Care Network decided to create a standardised ideal transfer bag and contents to improve patient safety. Methods A four-round modified Delphi survey developed a condensed and clinically tested content list. An expert panel then designed an ideal transfer bag based on agreed important principles. Results Participants completed two rounds of an electronic survey. Round 3 comprised an expert clinical panel review, while round 4 tested the contents over 50 clinical transfers. The prototype bag’s design was adjusted after clinical use and feedback. Discussion This project has introduced a standardised critical care transfer bag across our network. A similar technique could be used for other healthcare regions. Alternatively, the above critical care transfer bag could be adopted or adapted for regional use by clinicians.