Physical stresses related to the transport of the critically ill: Optimal nursing management

The critically ill patient's physical well being is constantly at risk. This fragile physical state means the patient is vulnerable to a host of hazards within the critical care setting, none of which are more relevant to patient outcome than the hazards awaiting them should the patient require transportation. The stresses exerted on the human body and the vulnerability of the critically ill to various means of movement, transport and subsequent environmental changes are explored through this review. The review includes a brief history of the evolution of patient transportation, which has provided a basis for the inception of formal strategies in patient management related to transportation. Within this framework current optimal nursing management minimising the detrimental effects of transport on the critically ill is reasoned to its scientific base. The basic laws of physics are an important consideration in all modes of patient movement or transport and play an integral role in the critical care nurses' practice. A clear understanding of pathophysiological and technological processes involved in caring for the critically ill and applying the principles of physics to effective contextual practice enhances the capability of the critical care nurse.