Ask anyone what they value most in their lives, and they might say their partner, their home, their car, perhaps their extensive jewellery collection, or their wardrobe of designer clothes. That is, at least until they are blessed with having children. A child surpasses the value of all material possessions.
With the gift of a child comes the instinct to protect, to nurse, and nurture to an extent that no value can be put upon it. In comparison, the value of material possessions fades into insignificance. On bringing new life into this world, children instantly become the most precious part of our lives.
Thankfully, the vast majority of children grow and develop into healthy, strong adults. But some children are less fortunate. Some youngsters fall ill or are the victims of accidents that require the skills of highly trained medical practitioners. It is at these times that emergency calls are made, not only to alert medical staff of an emergency admission but also to summon transport.
Specialized Pediatric Transport
The term ‘pediatrics’ can be traced back to the early 19th century when the first dedicated children’s hospital opened in 1802, the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in Paris. Pediatrics is a specialized area of medical science, with a medical skill set that is very different from those associated with adult medical health care.
Of course, in today’s world, pediatric medicine is well recognized and practiced. As anyone would expect, the physicians at the Samitivej Hospital, given its worldwide reputation for excellence, are world leaders in pediatric medicine. But this medical facility has gone one step further in its quest to provide the very best in medical care for the young.
Samitivej Hospital’s in-house care is second to none, but they extend that specialist pediatric care all the way from the first emergency call. From that call, specialized pediatric medical transport is dispatched to the patient. In an emergency, rapid response is vital—it saves time and lives!
Samitivej Hospital knows that in an emergency, time is of the essence. The pediatric transport department’s rapid response protocols ensure that no time is lost from when an emergency call comes to assembling the necessary medical professionals and dispatching the appropriate transport mode.
Emergency Ambulances
For a young person, knowing that they are going to be taken to hospital can be very daunting and stressful. A conventional ambulance, clinical and faceless, can look ominous, even scary to a young child. These vehicles, in the young mind, are associated with sickness, pain, and even death. So just seeing an ambulance can be very stressful for a young patient.
Samitivej Hospital understands this and has gone to great lengths to reduce the anxiety that young people experience during a medical emergency. And so, their ambulances have taken on their personalities. They have named their emergency ambulances “Speedy Bear”!
Speedy Bear is a brightly colored cartoon character that adorns pediatric ambulances. At first sight of Speedy Bear, a child’s anxiety starts to wane, which is better for the child. Also, with the child’s worst fears alleviated, the parents also become less stressed.
But these ambulances are not just for show—far from it. Each one is a high-tech, mobile medical facility. The practitioners staffing these ambulances are specifically trained in pediatrics, not only from the physical angle but also from the psychological aspect of being skilled at alleviating stress and anxiety in a child patient.
Emergency ambulances are the most common way of transporting a child patient to the hospital. However, there may be occasions when alternative transport is required. This might be due to location or distance. When such complications arise, Samitivej Hospital has the answers.
Some remote or difficult-to-reach locations can make access by conventional Speedy Bear ambulances inaccessible. So, for transport distances up to 250 kilometres, the pediatric transport department provides helicopters to ferry children to the hospital. For longer distances, they provide fixed-wing aeroplanes as the preferred means of transport. There are also very few cases where both forms of air transport are required.
Whatever form of air transport is required, each one is attended by dedicated pediatric doctors and nurses who are highly trained in their field of medical science. The specialist personnel are backed up with modern, high-tech medical monitoring and treatment equipment that is second to none.
This equipment includes Incubators, infant and pediatric transport ventilators, and defibrillators. Additionally, every transport has ECG and multiparameter monitors, Infusion and syringe pumps, end-tidal CO2, and portable suction machines. Neonatal and pediatric advanced life support equipment is also carried as standard, along with neonatal and pediatric immobilization equipment.
Pediatric Medical Escorts
It may be that a child patient needs to be transported from one medical facility to another outside of an emergency. On these occasions, the child patient will be accompanied by a trained pediatric escort. These escorts are members of the highly trained pediatric medical staff and are fully qualified should an emergency occur during transportation.
The escorts are an invaluable asset to the pediatric medical team. They are trained to interact with young patients, putting them at ease and lowering stress and anxiety. They also carefully monitor the child patient’s condition throughout the journey.
This service includes Samitivej Hospital’s “Bedside-to-Bedside” service. It may include preparing paperwork for airline medical clearance or coordinating pediatric medical staff at the receiving end.
Pediatric Transport Specialists
Samitivej Hospital’s pediatric transport team has up-to-date licenses and accreditations in each of their medical fields, including pediatrics. They all have at least five years of experience in critical care and have maintained their licensing from Advanced Cardiac Life Support, or ACLS, Basic Life Support (BLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support, known as PALS.
The team consists of emergency pediatric doctors, neonatologists, cardiologists, and intensivists. These medical experts are backed up by a comprehensive nursing staff, which includes NICU and PICU nurses as well as ICU and CCU nursing staff. Additionally, the team have dedicated, experienced and qualified flight nurses.
Samitivej Hospital is committed to providing the ultimate in medical care, for the Indigenous population, resident expats, and foreign visitors to the kingdom, and this extends through every department, including that of the Infant and Pediatric Critical Care Transportation Department.
