Ensuring Transfer Safety of Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients in Taiwan

Monday, 7 July 2008
Li Hung Chen, BSN, RN , Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Taipei, Taiwan
Shui-Tao Hu, MS, RN , Nursing Department, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan, Keelung, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: 1.The learner will able to understand the ensuring transfer safety of patients program in medical intensive care unit.

Learning Objective 2: 2.The learner will able to understand the factors of the ensuring transfer safety of patients program in medical intensive care unit.

According to hospital policy rules and regulations, patient safety should ensure with a completion rate of 100%. Therefore, The purpose of the project was to ensure transfer safety in medical intensive care unit (MICU) patients. The project was performed on medical intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in the north of Taiwan. The project conducted over a period from January 1, 2007 to March 31, 2007. The quasi-experimental method with the one sample pretest and posttest design was used. Medical intensive care unit patients were recruited. Researchers developed ensuring transfer safety of patients program, which included organizing continuing medical education, establishing critical patient transfer safety evaluation, establishing a standard resuscitation first-aid kit evaluation, establishing items for quality control and case discussions, and purchasing portable electrocardiography monitors.

Following the ensuring transfer safety of patients' program application, the results showed that transfers safety of patients improved from 92.1% to 100%, the insight of hospital staff towards safety of patients was 100% and no adverse events or complaints occurred.

Results lead researchers to conclude implementing the ensuring transfer safety of patients program could effectively enhance patient transfer safety. In addition, the program could provide personnel checks on workflow to achieve the goal of improving patient care and patient safety.