OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the conformity of the transport of newborns to existing norms in the State of Ceará. METHODS: a normative evaluation was carried out covering newborns transported to a neonatal referral unit in Fortaleza-CE. The extent to which transportation conformed to existing norms was evaluated, including issues regarding pre-transportation communication, the characteristics of the team and the clinical conditions on the arrival of the newborns and classified as: a) standard transportation; b) minimal transportation conditions; c) inadequate transportation. An arithmetic mean was calculated for each neonatal transportation based on the percentages obtained from the evaluated items and divided into three terciles representing high, average and low conformity. RESULTS: the study covered the transportation of 75 newborns with a mean weight and gestational age of 2121g and 34.3 weeks respectively. The mean age on admission to hospital was 64.7 hours. The transportation of newborns was beset by serious deficiencies, with clear failures to meet the existing norms. Around 70% of newborns were transported in an inadequate manner. On no occasion was a newborn transported in full accordance with the norms. There was more conformity with the norms in the case of pre-transportation communication, the characteristics of the team, and the transportation unit. CONCLUSIONS: the transportation of newborns showed deficiencies in the following respects: pre-transportation communication, the adequacy of the team and the transport unit and clinical conditions on arrival.
Health services evaluation; Intensive care units; neonatal; Transportation of patients
