Flight Nurses' Experiences With Interhospital Transportation of Critically Ill Patients.
Journal of Clinical Nursing · 2025-06-23 · Qualitative study
Abstract
AIM: To explore flight nurses' experiences with interhospital transportation of critically ill patients in fixed-wing aircraft. DESIGN: The study had a qualitative explorative and descriptive design. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Nine flight nurses working at five different air bases across Norway were interviewed. Systematic text condensation was used to analyse the data. The study was reported according to the COREQ checklist. FINDINGS: The data analysis resulted in three categories: Flight nurses being one step ahead when preparation for transporting patients in out-of-hospital environments, Flight nurses' strategies for effective and safe patient transport within the aircraft environment, and Flight nurses' need for a structured and organised handover of patients. CONCLUSION: The flight nurses emphasised the need for extensive preparation prior to aeromedical transport to enhance patients' safety. The aircraft environment was a challenge that required them to be creative with the limited resources available and to have a well-functioning interprofessional teamwork. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Knowledge about flight nurses' experiences with interhospital transportations could provide a path to standardisation and inform strategies to enhance interprofessional teamwork. Such knowledge could also contribute to humanising nursing practice during the transportation of critical care patients. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: There were no patient or public contributions.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
Critical care & advanced paramedics · Helicopter & air ambulance · Ambulance & prehospital nurses · Clinician perspective · Interfacility & critical care transport · Teamwork & human factors
Related articles
- Experience of physician and nurse specialists in Sweden undertaking long distance aeromedical transportation of critically ill patients: A qualitative study. (Int Emerg Nurs, 2019)
- Clinicians' experience of barriers and facilitators to care delivery of an extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation service for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a qualitative survey. (Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med, 2024)
- Transfer of patients dependent on an intra-aortic balloon pump using critical care services. (Air Med J, 2009)
- Air transport of patients with unstable aortic aneurysms directly into operating rooms. (Prehosp Emerg Care, 2007)
- Global presence: USAF aeromedical evacuation and critical care air transport. (Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am, 2003)
- Facilitators and Barriers Influencing Resilience Amongst Critical Care Transport Professionals in a Fixed-Wing Air Ambulance Environment. (Air Med J, 2026)