If you’ve ever traveled with a child, you’ve heard this classic question: “Are we there yet?” That inquiry takes on greater urgency for children and their parents if a child is traveling while sick or injured. Medical escorts for children during travel can help ease stress in these situations by providing care for young patients.
What is a Medical Escort?
Medical escorts travel with patients, providing planned or emergency medical care as needed throughout the trip. These medical professionals can assist during air or ground travel and work with patients of all ages. At SentinelMED, our medical escorts are physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses trained or experienced in emergency and travel medicine. Patients are paired with a medical escort based on the patient’s health or medical needs, native language, and any cultural concerns.
How Medical Escorts Can Help Children and Their Families During Travel
Having a sick child can be stressful, but traveling with a child who is ill or injured can feel overwhelming for families. A medical escort can help ensure the young patient is safe and comfortable so family members can focus on providing reassurance and support to their child. Here’s the SentinelMED team’s approach to transporting children with the assistance of a medical escort.
- Coordinated care. Our team will work with the child's medical providers, caregivers, and the medical escort to create a plan that best accommodates the young traveler’s needs, both medical and emotional.
- Safety and comfort. Our logistics professionals will work with our escorts to make sure the family has any mobility devices and medications needed for travel or an FAA-approved car seat for a baby or toddler. Our team also coordinates with the child’s caregiver to provide distractions or entertainment options, like books, games, or a favorite stuffed toy, that adult patients might not need.
- Assistance when it’s needed. SentinelMED's medical escorts will be at the child's side before, during, and after travel. They can administer medicine and supplemental oxygen and, on international flights, may use a stretcher to accommodate a patient in first class. One or two escorts will accompany the child and family and can provide IVs and other care as needed. SentinelMED’s logistics team works with doctors to provide medical documentation and with the airline to arrange accommodations.
- Support for families. If parents or caregivers have other children traveling with them, a medical escort can allow them to focus more closely on their needs, knowing that the patient is well cared for.
Other Services from SentinelMED
SentinelMED provides medical transportation, medical repatriation, and medical escort services to help navigate the complexities of long-distance travel for sick or injured children and adults. The SentinelMED team can schedule door-to-door care and transportation for patients from discharge at a hospital or medical facility to a receiving health care facility or to a family member who is able to assume their care.
The SentinelMED team understands the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who need assistance during travel. Please contact us to learn more about SentinelMED's services or its staff.
