Critical care travel involves having medical personnel on hand when you make a trip. It can include air ambulances used for emergency transport and non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) for travelers who want the security of having a nurse with them during a flight.
It’s an increasingly popular option to use critical care travel while making a long trip by plane for a vacation or to visit a specialist doctor. Having a travel nurse along for a trip ensures that a patient’s health is in good hands.
Who Uses Critical Travel Care?
Critical care travel is something used by those who suffer from a chronic illness or those who have been injured. In either case, they may have difficulty with their mobility. A travel nurse (sometimes called a flight nurse) offers support by helping patients with their travel arrangements, moving through often congested airports and getting onboard the plane.
They also ensure that the patient has all the medicine they need, as well as any important medical devices. Travel nurses are trained in critical care travel and understanding the variables created by treating someone while thousands of feet in the air.
NEMT is an air ambulance alternative. It’s helpful to know the differences. An air ambulance is typically staffed by emergency medical personnel and used to transport people from the site of an accident or natural disaster to the nearest medical facility.
This is a far cry from NEMT and critical care travel.
The Advantages of Critical Travel Care
There are many advantages for those who choose to use these kinds of services. Using Flying Angels’ service as an example, these are some of the factors that lead people to hire critical care nurses.
- NEMT service is available for trips on commercial airlines anywhere in the world
- A flight coordinator handles all the reservations for your trip
- An experienced flight nurse accompanies you on your trip, ensuring your health and safety
- Flight nurses have years of experience in emergency room settings and are schooled in the details of providing in-flight medical care
There also are many advantages for NEMT as an alternative to air ambulances. Because you can get NEMT services on a commercial flight, you can also avoid the high costs of using a private flight. Also, everything is planned in advance, from dealing with items such as wheelchairs to coordination of the boarding process. Critical care travel with a travel nurse is a smart way to get the care you need while you travel. When looking for alternatives to an air ambulance, it’s an option worth considering.