Bed-to-bed medical transfer in China: what each handover requires

At the sending bedside

Record the ward contact, discharge readiness, mobility and devices that cannot be interrupted. The sending team should state whether it assists with transfer to a stretcher or hands over at a building entrance. An address is insufficient if the crew cannot reach the patient or the treating team has not released them.

Between modes

List each vehicle, airport or aircraft transition and the responsible clinical or operational person. A flight escort, ground crew and airline may all hold different responsibilities; their presence must not be inferred from the phrase “bed to bed”. Check oxygen and equipment custody through waiting and loading, not only during travel.

The receiving bedside

Obtain the accepting department, bed or admission process, arrival window and person who signs off handover. If the receiving facility changes, the route, transport scope and medical summary recipient may all change. A coordinator can verify interfaces but cannot approve admission for the hospital.

When one provider covers only a leg

A provider might quote a staffed road vehicle from a Shanghai hospital to an airport while an overseas desk arranges the flight and another firm meets the patient abroad. Each quote can be valid, but none on its own constitutes a bed-to-bed commitment. Ask the case owner to draw the actual transfer points and name a person who accepts responsibility at each point. If an aircraft arrives late, the destination ward may no longer be ready at the original hour. The case owner must obtain a revised receiving decision before instructing the final ground team.

Map the actual endpoints

Write the exact sending bed and receiving room or ward, then list each physical change of responsibility: ward to road crew, road crew to flight team, flight team to destination road crew, and final receiving clinician. A quotation ending at the airport is not equivalent to a bed-to-bed plan. Record whether the receiving facility accepts the individual at the expected hour and which documents must accompany them. If the destination is home, name the person who can receive the patient and confirm access to the building and necessary support.

Test the plan against a delayed leg

Before payment, ask who owns a late discharge, missed connection or delayed landing. The answer differs by segment: the sending hospital decides whether the patient can leave; the airline or aircraft operator controls its leg; the destination institution must reconfirm its receiving window. Ask whether a new road team must be dispatched and who approves waiting or replacement charges. A single phone number is useful only if the case owner has authority and a current contact for every affected party. The family should receive a revised itinerary, not several incompatible confirmations.

Decision pathway

If both facilities confirm their handover points, assess each road or air segment and its clinical support. If the destination is unconfirmed, hold transport as provisional. If an immediate emergency develops, use the current facility and local emergency pathway rather than treating this planned transfer as dispatch.

Information for a useful first enquiry

Sending ward/building and contact; receiving department and acceptance; mobility and positioning; oxygen/devices; transport date; who manages each intermediate handover.

For detailed clinical records, use a direct authorised exchange rather than this public page.