Medical escorts are often the unsung heroes when a person experiences a serious injury or illness while traveling. But unless you or a loved one has experienced a health crisis, you may wonder, “Who are medical escorts, and what exactly do they do?”
Here’s a simple answer to the first question: Medical escorts accompany patients after an injury or illness that prevents patients from traveling independently. They provide support and medical care to patients who are stable enough to travel.
Medical escorts can have very different medical backgrounds, training, and experience.
At SentinelMED, our medical escorts are physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. They are experienced or trained in emergency and travel medicine and are paired with patients based on their medical needs, native language, and any cultural concerns. They have demonstrated that they can handle a range of medical and emergency scenarios, work well under pressure, and provide excellent emotional support to patients.
Patients and caregivers should ask about the expertise and experience of a medical escort when searching for a medical transport service.
What do medical escorts do?
Now that we’ve explained who medical escorts are, let’s look at what they do. The information provided in this article is specific to SentinelMED; other medical assistance companies may provide different services and support.
SentinelMed's medical escorts accompany patients during travel. Medical escorts for SentinelMED typically travel with people on commercial airlines, a cost-effective alternative to air ambulances. SentinelMED’s medical escorts typically meet patients at a discharging medical facility, help them navigate airport screening and boarding, provide care throughout a flight, and accompany them to a receiving medical care facility or the home of a loved one.
They provide medical care and emotional support. Long-distance travel can be stressful both physically and mentally. SentinelMED’s medical escorts can provide essential medical care such as administering supplemental oxygen, monitoring vital signs, administering necessary medicine, and positioning or repositioning a patient to avoid complications such as blood clots.
They can also provide emotional support and reassurance for patients who know they have a trained medical professional at their side if they need help or are nervous about traveling while ill or injured.
They help ensure patient comfort and safety. The medical escorts at SentinelMED are advocates for patients during all stages of transport. They ensure patients have what they need to travel long distances, including medical supplies such as wheelchairs and prescription medicines. They also know what accommodations airlines can make and will ask for them to help with patient safety and comfort while traveling.
About SentinelMED
In addition to medical escort services, SentinelMED coordinates medical repatriations and evacuations across the globe. Members of the SentinelMED team have strong working relationships with major airlines and can help facilitate special requests for travelers who need medical transport. Our team also works closely with hospital case managers and families to provide safe and comfortable transportation within the United States and internationally.
SentinelMED 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.
