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Operations & systems
Checklists may speed time-critical transfers
Using Checklists to Improve Turnaround Times in Time-Critical Interhospital Transfers
Air Medical Journal · 2026-09 · Added 26 September 2026
A UK HEMS service evaluation found introducing referring-hospital and transport-team checklists for time-critical interhospital helicopter transfers improved achievement of a sub-45-minute turnaround KPI from 52% to 64%, though not significantly.
- Study type
- Other
- Design
- Before-after service evaluation with simulation familiarisation
- Participants
- 23 transfers pre-intervention (2022), 11 air transfers post-intervention (2024)
- Main finding
- Sub-45-minute turnaround achievement rose from 52% to 64% after checklist introduction; the difference was not statistically significant
- Caveat
- Very small numbers, single organisation, retrospective design, and a helicopter-only cohort
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). A HEMS-specific workflow, but checklist use for time-critical transfers is standard practice across Australian retrieval and road crews, so the finding is relevant despite the tiny numbers.
Learning goal
Understand how checklists can streamline turnaround during time-critical interhospital transfers in my practice.
More
- Topic: Operations & systems
- Daily scan: 26 September 2026
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