Neonatal transport in Switzerland: a retrospective single-centre analysis – quo vadis?

The high proportion of urgent transfers emphasises the need for an efficient neonatal transport system and dedicated neonatal transport teams staffed by members with training in neonatal transport and expertise in handling neonatal emergencies. To provide the best possible care to the vulnerable neonates, the heterogeneous nature of the cohort of transported neonates regarding the diagnoses transport demand was made for and the medical procedures performed during transport should be considered in simulation training of neonatal transport team staff. Additionally, processes to improve preparation time should be defined and implemented in order to reduce it to less than 30 min so as to guarantee efficient care. Further studies are needed to assess the quality and efficacy of neonatal transports in Switzerland. National guidelines on the standard of neonatal transport and quality metrics should be established in order to set benchmarks and to improve the quality of the transports.