A serious injury or illness to a child is one of the things parents fear most. If you are a parent, you will do almost anything to protect your child from pain and alleviate their discomfort. If your child requires medical transport, you want it handled by people who can alleviate your child's fears and keep you and your child comfortable. Having a team experienced in the medical transport of a minor child can make the process safer and provide peace of mind.
How Medical Transport of a Minor Child is Different than Transport of an Adult
Children’s bodies aren’t smaller versions of adult bodies, and providing medical transport to them isn’t as simple as providing the same care, just on a smaller scale. It's one reason children's hospitals use different ambulances than those used for adults and that the federal government has issued guidance for transporting children in ambulances.
Many of those guidelines also apply to other means of medical transport, such as air ambulances and commercial airlines. At SentinelMED, we transport patients long distances, including for medical repatriation and evacuation, by the mode that’s best for their needs. Although most of the people we work with are adults, our team is experienced in arranging and managing transport for children and their families.
Some of the considerations for medical transport of a minor child are different than for adults. Those considerations include:
Size of safety restraints. Children who are sick or injured often want to be held and comforted by a parent. However, the National Association of State EMS Officials specifically recommends against this. The use of properly sized safety restraints during transport can help stabilize a child who is sick or has been injured. They can also decrease the chance of further injury during transport.
As all parents know, child safety equipment works best when it is installed correctly. Improperly installed equipment can fail to protect children in an accident. Child safety seats also have maximum weight and size recommendations.
The SentinelMED team works with transport providers to ensure they can provide appropriate-sized safety restraints for patients in our care. If not, we can acquire the appropriate safety seats if needed. As a parent, you can be assured that we will follow all Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards for the safe transport of children.
Appropriately sized equipment. During transport, equipment such as supplementary oxygen or a stretcher may be required. These must be sized for the child who is being transported. Our team will consider and confirm the child's height, weight, and age when arranging transport.
Transport for the child’s family. If your child is being transported, you’ll want at least one adult to be nearby. Our team will research requirements for parents who accompany children during medical transport. As a parent, you will be required to use adult-sized safety restraints, just as you would in a car.
If your child is traveling by air ambulance or commercial aircraft, we can coordinate care so your family can travel together. We also make sure to ask about comfort items that your child may want during transport. Our team will work closely with you to handle all the details so you can give your child your full attention.
About SentinelMED
SentinelMED offers medical transport, medical repatriation, and medical escort services to children and adults. The SentinelMED team is skilled at arranging transport for patients anywhere in the world.
Our logistics professionals also work closely with hospital case managers, patients, and their families to provide safe and comfortable door-to-door transportation. They handle end-to-end travel planning, including arranging for a medical escort to accompany children and their families when needed.
At SentinelMED, we understand 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.
