Everything You Need to Know About Medical Escort Services

When you are abroad, you may feel sick and require medically assisted transport to get back home. Perhaps you have suffered an emergency and cannot continue staying in a foreign country for long. In this case, you will require specialist medical transport. Medical Escort is the name given to services that offer such kind of help.

Many times when people think about medical repatriation, they will automatically call for an air ambulance or a long-distance road ambulance. However, there are other means of getting medical transport, for instance, through a regular flight accompanied by a certified professional. That is why we have compiled everything there is to know about medical escort services.

What is a medical escort?

A medical escort could be a self-employed freelance, medical transport company, or air ambulance dedicated to offering non-emergency medical escort services. As the name suggests, when someone falls sick in a foreign country, a team of medical professionals is employed to escort them home. This is an essential service for the modern population as it allows you to travel home safely. Medical Escort is one of the most cost-effective non-emergency medical transport services. You can choose to use seats from business class and the first class of a standard aircraft and still get home safely.

Sometimes specialized entities, including governments, pay for such services through insurance covers. They understand how easy it is to keep someone healthy rather than treating them later.

How are commercial planes picked for a medical escort?

Many planes have several rows of seats that can allow medical stretchers to fit. This is what makes non-emergency medical transport easy and achievable. The escort crew is well equipped and trained for providing medical treatment to non-emergency patients. They are responsible for keeping the patient safe while on-board, equipped with CPR equipment, monitoring units, and other basic tools for administering medical assistance.

Sometimes people get confused when searching for medical escorts and try getting air ambulance services. Well, it is a good option but one that can be quite costly. The good news is you can get pieces of advice from air ambulance services for free. They will help you understand how to manage the repatriation of a loved one who falls ill or is injured while abroad.

What does a medical escort team entail?

A medical escort can be seen as a fully operational network with different harmonious entities. First, there is the patient who requires the services. They become the center of attention in the whole process. Then there are doctors and medical professionals from different parts of the globe who give instructions and accompany the patients.

The two parties are connected through a medical escort service. This is a professional body with the required expertise and equipment to handle patients who need specialized medical care while traveling. They will have escorting paramedics, nurses, and doctors working together to ensure the safety of their customers. They are also responsible for arranging specialist consultant referrals, doctor’s appointments, specialist treatments, and other related services. A mid-flight organization may have other medical services such as having qualified dentists and physiotherapists always on standby for medical transportation.

Is a medical escort helpful?

The most important thing to do before contacting a medical escort is to assess your situation. Create a clear picture of your condition and list the challenges you are bound to face trying to get home. Your healthcare provider should be able to give the best direction. When assessing the best transport method, the safety of the patient comes first.

Sometimes the situation may be too tricky for medical repatriation. In cases, for instance, when the patient is on life support, they will be repatriated by road or air ambulance. If they are not in a life-threatening situation, then a medical escort service is all they need.

How does medical escort work?

Medical escort involves the transportation of a patient on a commercial flight. This process can take one of two forms discussed below.

The first way is for patients who are strong enough to board the plane. They can be assisted with a wheelchair. Such patients can sit up during take-off and landing, and they can travel in business or first class of a regular plane. Every medical escort company has specific airlines they work with that can provide space for their patients. Most of these airlines have seating arrangements in specified classes that offer privacy and enough space for a medical team and their patient. The seats can be adjusted into beds so that the sick person can lie in a comfortable position when the plane is in the air.

The second approach is for someone who is not able to sit during take-off and touch-down. The medical escort team has to be creative enough to make something that can hold the patient all the way. They can use a stretcher, for instance, across three seats in an aisle. It is best done in the economy class where space is sufficient to allow the patient to lie down all the way. The stretcher area may be shielded with screening so that the patient stays in provided. This method requires a longer time of planning because arranging the seats may not be easy.

How will you feel during the flight?

The medical team ensures everything flows smoothly. They will be with them at all times, administering pain medication and offering assistance in the lavatory. The choice of a medical escort team depends on the condition of the patient. The worst situation may require doctors, nurses, paramedics, and a medical specialist to ensure the patient is as comfortable as possible.

When does the work of the medical escort team end?

The medical escort team does not leave patients at the airport when the plane lands. They escort them further through ground transportation to their home or their living facility. The transport isn’t complete until the patient arrives at their destination safely and securely by the medical escort.

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