Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38968159›Full record

ArticleCritical care explorations2024

Interhospital Transfer of Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Amy Ludwig, Jennifer Slota, Denise A Nunes, Kelly C Vranas, Jacqueline M Kruser, Kelli S Scott, Reiping Huang, Julie K Johnson, Tara C Lagu, Nandita R Nadig

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in Critical care explorations, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Coordinating care across hospitals: how integration shapes patient mobility.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Amy LudwigDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.ORCID 0000-0002-6861-3343
Jennifer SlotaNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Denise A NunesGalter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Kelly C VranasDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR.
Jacqueline M KruserDivision of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Kelli S ScottDepartment of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Reiping HuangNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Julie K JohnsonNorthwestern Quality Improvement, Research, and Education in Surgery (NQUIRES), Department of Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.
Tara C LaguCenter for Health Services and Outcomes Research, Institute of Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Nandita R NadigDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesInterhospital transfer of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) is relevant in the current landscape of critical care delivery. However, current transfer practices for patients with ARF are highly variable, poorly formalized, and lack evidence. We aim to synthesize the existing evidence, identify knowledge gaps, and highlight persisting questions related to interhospital transfer of patients with ARF. DATA SOURCES: Ovid Medline, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and American Psychological Association. STUDY SELECTION: We included studies that evaluated or described hospital transfers of adult (age > 18) patients with ARF between January 2020 and 2024 conducted in the United States. Using predetermined search terms and strategies, a total of 3369 articles were found across all databases. After deduplication, 1748 abstracts were screened by authors with 45 articles that advanced to full-text review. This yielded 16 studies that fit our inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: The studies were reviewed in accordance to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews by three authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Included studies were mostly retrospective analyses of heterogeneous patients with various etiologies and severity of ARF. Overall, transferred patients were younger, had high severity of illness, and were more likely to have commercial insurance compared with nontransferred cohorts. There is a paucity of data examining why patients get transferred. Studies that retrospectively evaluated outcomes between transferred and nontransferred cohorts found no differences in mortality, although transferred patients have a longer length of stay. There is limited evidence to suggest that patients transferred early in their course have improved outcomes.

conclusionsOur scoping review highlights the sparse evidence and the urgent need for further research into understanding the complexity behind ARF transfers. Future studies should focus on defining best practices to inform clinical decision-making and improve downstream outcomes.

Indexed as

Patient TransferRespiratory InsufficiencyHumansUnited States

Identifiers

PMID38968159
PMCPMC11230760

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.