Medical flight escorts can make long-distance travel possible for health-compromised individuals. Working with such escorts can greatly reduce the stress associated with long flights, arranging in-airport and ground transportation, and navigating airport security.
But for the health-compromised individual, the biggest benefit a medical flight escort can provide is to make travel more tolerable – and even enjoyable.
As the term suggests, medical flight escorts travel with patients on commercial flights, providing medical care as needed. They assist individuals who have chronic medical conditions or are recovering from an accident or illness to ensure their travel experiences are safe and comfortable.
Some medical escorts, like those who work with SentinelMED, provide door-to-door assistance, traveling with the patient to the airport, through security and check-in, on the commercial aircraft, and to a receiving medical facility or the home of a caregiver.
Here are some of the things medical flight escorts do to help make long-distance travel on commercial airlines more comfortable:
- Assist with needed medical care. SentinelMED’s team includes physicians, physician assistants and nurses who can help manage medications and administer supplemental oxygen as needed.
- Arrange for the use of a medical stretcher. SentinelMED regularly works with commercial airlines to assist with boarding and securing stretcher transport. Such transport is only offered by certain airlines and in almost all cases, a medical flight escort is required to travel with the patient.
- Help ensure any special dietary requests are met. Some travelers may have special dietary needs during long-distance travel. A medical flight escort service can work directly with commercial airlines to order and confirm special diabetic, low sodium, low cholesterol or bland meals. Read more about how to address commercial dietary needs during a commercial air medical transport on our blog here.
- Accompany travelers through check-in and screening. SentinelMED’s escorts are familiar with the TSA screening rules for people who have medical devices or disabilities. They can help health-compromised individuals navigate the screening and boarding process by presenting appropriate documentation of a medical condition or requesting alternate screening methods.
- Addressing any language or cultural needs. SentinelMED is careful to match its medical escorts to a traveler’s cultural or native-language needs. This will help the traveler feel more at ease, and will ensure that the escort can communicate important information in the event of a medical emergency.
- Escort the traveler to a receiving medical facility. The medical flight escort will accompany the traveler to a pre-arranged medical facility that can provide ongoing care, or to the home of the loved one. The escort will meet with the receiving party and transfer over any medication and information necessary to ensure a smooth transition for the patient.
- Provide peace of mind. SentinelMED’s medical flight escorts are either trained or experienced in emergency medicine. This can provide reassurance to patients and family members that a medical escort will be prepared to handle any unexpected medical needs.
Medical Flight Escorts and Other Services Offered by SentinelMED
SentinelMED provides air medical transport services to people who need assistance to travel long distances, whether across the United States or around the globe. We coordinate non-emergency medical transport for medical tourists, people who are recovering from a sudden illness or accident, individuals who have limited mental or physical capabilities, and the elderly.
SentinelMED also provides medical repatriation services for those who have more serious or complicated medical concerns. We work closely with hospital case managers to provide door-to-door transportation for such patients. In many cases, transportation is provided on commercial airlines with the assistance of a medical flight escort – a cost-effective alternative to flying by air ambulance.
The SentinelMED team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about the services that SentinelMED offers or its staff.
