A 3-year retrospective analysis of Priority 1 inter-facility transfers by a non-asset-based paediatric retrieval service in south-east Queensland

Caroline Venner¹

¹CHQRS, ,

Abstract:

The purpose of this 5-year retrospective analysis is to gain insight into the challenges posed by priority 1 taskings for a non-asset-based retrieval service in order to identify areas for quality improvement. The Children’s Health Queensland Retrieval Service (CHQRS) operates from the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) in the south-east of the state. The retrieval of critically ill or injured children is coordinated via the centralised government organisation Retrieval Services Queensland (RSQ).

A priority 1 tasking is a time-critical, life-threatening emergency that requires a response within one hour. The implication is that the current facility is unable to provide the immediate care required to prevent clinical deterioration or demise. For example, an expanding intracranial haemorrhage with deteriorating consciousness level or a button battery ingestion. Tasking of a P1 generates risk for the retrieval team – whether lights and sirens on the busy roads of metropolitan Brisbane or flying in inclement weather. As a non-asset-based retrieval service, we anticipate significant delays in response times.

Of all the Australian states and territories, Queensland has the second highest child mortality rate. Rural and remote inhabitants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are disproportionately represented within these figures. The wide dispersal of isolated but substantively populated communities coupled with the tyranny of distance has created significant logistical challenges for the provision of equitable healthcare. Robust retrieval systems and consultation processes with readily available paediatric specialists are required to address these.

This study is designed to examine the priority 1 taskings over the last five years and identify areas of service improvement in order to deliver the highest standard of care to our most vulnerable populations.

Biographies:

Caroline is a retrieval fellow for Children’s Health Queensland Retrieval Service (CHQRS) and an emergency specialist at Gladstone Hospital. She has previously worked for LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine in regional Queensland. Caroline has a master’s in Public Health and Tropical Medicine and is currently completing a master’s in Traumatology in which she also has a fellowship through the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.