Transfer Center Functions: Describing Changes to Nursing Roles Through Goal-Directed Task Analysis

Abstract

Patient transfer centers offer a centralized point of contact for transferring a patient into or between the in-patient care settings that comprise any one particular healthcare system. There are case studies on the improvements seen in patient throughput (Ayers, 2012) and physician satisfaction (Amedee, Maronge, & Pinsky, 2012) when these centers are introduced, but benchmarks, standards, staffing requirements or process guidelines were found to be lacking. Variations exist in the types of transfers supported (intra-facility, inter-facility, or both; within healthcare system vs. external to healthcare system) as well as additional services provided (e.g., transportation).