Interhospital transfer of premature neonates from intensive to lower care settings: Impact on the clinical condition

Limited data are available on the outcomes of interhospital neonatal transports of premature infants from intensive to lower care settings by ambulance. Available data come from studies that only covered the outcomes of the transportation of critically ill premature neonates to neonatal intensive care units (NICU); undesirable outcomes have been reported.
Transport of clinically stable premature infants from NICUs to lower care settings allows further neonatal treatment in the vicinity of the family home. The clinical impact of this interhospital transport is unknown and not quantified before. Therefore, we investigated the impact of these transfers from an NICU to regional hospitals in the Netherlands.