What should an overseas-to-China patient handover summary contain?
A structured operational handover helps the flight escort, ground team and receiving institution see the same open decisions.
Content reviewed: 28 September 2026
Use one operational header
List departure country, arriving flight, China airport and terminal if confirmed, expected time, intended destination and contact for each team. Mark unconfirmed fields as pending rather than filling them with assumptions. This first overview can omit personal clinical detail.
Describe support in actionable terms
The treating or sending clinical team should communicate patient position, mobility, any oxygen or other support needed during each leg and whether qualified personnel must accompany the patient. A vague description such as “stable” does not specify who performs a stretcher move or monitors a long road segment.
Record decisions by owner
For each open item, identify its decision maker: airline for carriage conditions, airport or authorities for controlled access, receiving institution for acceptance, and ground provider for vehicle and crew. Keep versions and timestamps when an answer changes.
Protect identifiable information
Send full clinical records only to appropriate verified recipients through agreed private channels. The public website asks only for a route and service outline. The brief should say who may authorise sharing, revisions and expenditure under the particular case.
Handover responsibility map
Share route, timing and contacts without unnecessary identifiers.
Responsible medical teams exchange records privately.
Each pending decision has an owner and timestamp.
Questions before a booking
Do we need to upload records to ask a first question?
No. A route, date, mobility and requested support are enough to begin the operational discussion.
Is a discharge summary the same as an airport access permit?
No. Different organisations control medical information and restricted airport access.
Useful details for a first enquiry
- Flight, airport and next destination
- Sending escort and receiving team contacts
- Support needed for each leg
- Open decisions with named owners
A route and support summary is enough to start; discuss detailed records directly by email with the coordinator.
Related services
Related public references
These references explain relevant public procedures. Check the conditions of the actual case with the responsible organisations.
Tell us where, when and what support is needed
A short description of the route and support required is enough to start. Send any case details directly by email, not through a public webpage.