Introduction:

Secondary patient transport plays an important role in inter-hospital transfers, either due to the need to perform unavailable complementary diagnostic tests or due to the lack of technical or human resources in the continuity of care in certain healthcare units. The decision involved in this process should consider the risk/benefit assessment inherent to patient transport.

Objective:

To map the scientific evidence on patient assessment instruments for secondary transport.

Methods:

A scoping review was conducted according to the PRISMA-ScR methodology and the framework proposed by the JBI: population (critically ill patients), concept (assessment instruments), and context (secondary transport). A literature search was performed on the MEDLINE, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane, Scielo, and LILACS databases; and the grey literature was searched on the OpenGrey, DART-Europe, and RCAAP databases. Studies published in Portuguese, Spanish, and English were included in the review, with no limitation on the time of publication.

Results:

Eight articles were included in the review. A total of 9 risk stratification instruments for patient assessment in the secondary transfer were identified.

Conclusion:

Patient assessment instruments for secondary transport are beneficial due to the inclusion of variables that aid in risk stratification. Nurses play a key role in the planning and execution of an effective transfer system.

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