Anemia of Prematurity - Portal Neonatal

Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of potential transport team staff. Data are used to
determine crew configuration for a neonatal transport team.
Paramedic
(EMT-P)
Availability Knowledge
Base
Airway Skills Versatility Costs
Good Low Fair Low Low
Nurse (RN) Good Fair Low Fair High
Respiratory
therapist (RT)
Nurse
practitioner
(NNP)
Physician
resident (MD)
Physician
attending (MD)
Team recruitment, training, and orientation
Good Fair Excellent Good Moderate
Low Good Good High High
Fair High Good Good Moderate
Low Excellent Variable High Very high
Team configuration is determined largely by local availability of personnel, patient characteristics,
and tradition. Little published data is available on these issues to assist in the decision process.
Applicants should be informed of any mandatory outreach educational roles and expectations as well
as any public relations aspects of the job. Potential team members must be informed of the precise
job requirements, especially if additional training, such as EMT or paramedic certification, is required.
Continuing education, which includes practice labs, should be undergone at least annually,
recognizing that in the field some skills are rarely used.
Cross-training issues
Schedule a structured series of skill sessions to ensure competency. Sessions may occur in the
clinical realm (ie, neonatal intensive care units, delivery room suites, or operating room suites) or in
practice labs with models, animals, or cadaveric material.
Often the critically ill neonatal patient cannot be adequately stabilized and managed in an outlying
referring hospital, leading to time pressures in arranging for transport team arrival. One alternative to
long delays and increasing costs is to use seasoned cross-trained personnel, including cross-trained
NICU personnel, to perform transports. The feasibility of this alternative is dependent on adequate
planning and training and a carefully defined triage mechanism. Since personnel cross-training
necessitates more training, demands should be carefully evaluated.