Abstract: Objective: Summarize the available evidence on inter-hospital transport of critically ill children. Methods: We searched websites and databases to obtain evidence. The eligible types of evidence include clinical decision support, clinical practice guidelines, best practice recommendations, systematic reviews, evidence summary and expert consensus. Results: Totally 10 references were retrieved according to the inclusion criteria, including nine guidelines and one expert opinion. Fifty-one items of evidence were summarized into the following 8 categories: transport initiation and response, pre-transport preparation, stabilization and assessment, handover and communication, organization of transport, monitoring and intervention during transport, family support, evaluation and recording. Conclusion: This study summarized the best evidence for inter-hospital transport of critically ill children, which provided a reference basis for its implementation. Medical institutions should develop standardized, efficient and organized procedures for inter-hospital transport of critically ill children within the local context to improve patient safety.

Key words: critically ill children; inter-hospital transfer; evidence summary; evidence-based nursing