Who decides whether a patient is fit for transport?
This information supports an individual transport file and does not replace assessment or treatment by the responsible physician.
Different professionals have different roles
The treating physician knows the diagnosis, recent progression and local treatment. The transport team assesses what care can be provided during a specific journey. An airline or carrier may also apply operational acceptance requirements.
No single authorisation answers all questions. Medical stability, route suitability and operational feasibility must be confirmed together.
Discharge is not a transport decision
The fact that hospital admission is no longer necessary does not automatically mean that someone can sit for a long time, transfer between vehicles or travel without observation. Mobility, pain, cognition, oxygen requirements and the risk of deterioration are documented separately.
If the route changes or there is a longer delay, an earlier assessment may need to be repeated.
What information is used?
An up-to-date medical summary, vital parameters, medication, recent procedures, infection status, mobility and possible interventions en route form the basis. Access at departure and reception on arrival also affect safe execution.
An incomplete or outdated report is supplemented through direct consultation with the care team at the departure location.
What if there is a difference of opinion?
Ask each professional which specific care need or risk determines their position. Sometimes the difference is not about stability, but about the chosen mode of transport or the support available.
An alternative with more supervision, fewer transfers or a later departure may resolve the difference. If clinical uncertainty persists, reassessment takes priority.
Documenting the decision
Record who provided the medical information, which route was assessed, what level of care applies and which stop criterion was agreed.
This makes it clear that transport is not decided by family, insurer or booking alone, but by a substantiated combination of medical and operational assessment.