Systematic review develops quality indicators for adult critically ill patients during ground inter-hospital transport.

This systematic review outlines the development of a quality evaluation indicator system specifically designed for adult critically ill patients undergoing ground inter-hospital transport (IHT). The authors employed the Donabedian model, structured into Structure, Process, and Outcome domains, to create standardized and quantifiable metrics. Expert consensus was established through two rounds of Delphi consultation combined with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis.

The process yielded high levels of expert engagement and agreement. In the first round, the expert response rate was 100%, with 83.3% of experts providing suggestions. By the second round, the response rate remained high at 95.83%, with 21.7% of experts offering further input. Expert authority coefficients were 0.950 in the first round and 0.974 in the second, indicating strong expertise. Kendall's concordance coefficients for third-level indicators were 0.298 and 0.327, both statistically significant, demonstrating reliable agreement among experts.

The primary outcome of this work was the successful establishment of the quality evaluation indicator system for IHT. The review does not report adverse events, discontinuations, or specific clinical outcomes associated with these indicators, as the focus was on the development process itself. Limitations regarding the study phase and specific funding sources were not reported in the source material. Consequently, the clinical applicability of these indicators remains to be tested in prospective practice settings.