Inter-hospital ‘patient expect’ calls of clinical handovers for expected patients transferred from rural to metropolitan hospitals: A retrospective clinical audit

Abstract

Patients requiring inter-hospital air transport across large geographical spaces are at significant risk of adverse outcomes. The aims of this study were to examine the characteristics of clinical handover conducted by telephone and subsequently transcribed in medical records during the inter-hospital transfer of rural patients, and to identify any deficits of this telephone clinical handover. A retrospective audit was conducted of transcribed telephone handovers (‘patient expect’ calls) occurring with inter-hospital transfers from two rural hospitals to a metropolitan tertiary hospital of all rural patients (n = 127) between January and June 2012. Patient transport between various sites occ..