Stretcher transport
In a stretcher transport, the patient is carried on a patient stretcher in a vehicle specially equipped for the purpose.
Learn more: Stretcher transportPatient stretcher (wheeled stretcher)
Glossary · Equipment · also: Wheeled stretcher, Ambulance stretcher, Patient trolley
In brief
The key points at a glance
A patient stretcher, also called a wheeled stretcher, is a mobile bed on which patients are transported lying down. Its height can be adjusted, it rolls on wheels right up to the bed and it is locked onto a fixed stretcher mount in the vehicle. It is the central piece of equipment in every stretcher transport.
Also called: Wheeled stretcher · Ambulance stretcher · Patient trolley · Gurney
How a wheeled stretcher is built
A modern wheeled stretcher consists of a sturdy undercarriage with wheels and a padded lying surface. The head section can be raised so that the upper body lies in an elevated position — which is more comfortable for many people with breathing difficulties or after surgery. Side straps keep the person on the stretcher without feeling confined.
The undercarriage is height-adjustable. This means the stretcher can be lowered to bed level so that the patient can slide across from the bed onto the stretcher with as little lifting as possible. For the journey, the stretcher is brought to the right height and pushed into the vehicle via a ramp or a loading system.
Securing the stretcher during the journey
In the vehicle, the wheeled stretcher is locked onto a stretcher mount. This anchoring prevents the stretcher from shifting when braking or cornering. In addition, straps secure the person on the stretcher. Only once both have been checked does the vehicle set off.
On a Mobimed stretcher transport, a second, specially trained transport assistant always travels alongside the driver. They sit with the patient, watch over them throughout the journey and can respond if the patient feels unwell. Oxygen, first-response emergency medical equipment and a defibrillator are on board.
When a stretcher is needed
A wheeled stretcher is needed by anyone who must not sit or cannot sit. Typical situations include the journey home after hip or back surgery, severe pain, being bedridden, marked weakness after a long illness or a transfer between two hospitals. If in doubt, the doctor decides whether a transport has to be carried out lying down.
It is important to distinguish this from the emergency medical service: even though ambulances also carry stretchers, stretcher transport is not an emergency call-out. It is intended for people in a stable physical condition. In a medical emergency in Switzerland, always call the emergency number 144.
Stairs, narrow hallways, small lifts
Not every flat can be reached with a stretcher. In older buildings with a narrow stairwell or a small lift, a stair chair is therefore often used: the patient is carried down the stairs sitting and only transferred onto the wheeled stretcher at the vehicle. When booking, tell us which floor the flat is on and whether there is a lift — then the right equipment will be planned in.
In practice
Home lying down after hip surgery
Margrit, 78, is being discharged from a Basel hospital after hip surgery. She is not yet allowed to sit. The ward books a stretcher transport. Two staff members collect her from her room, transfer her from the bed onto the lowered stretcher with as little movement as possible, secure her with the straps and lock the stretcher in the vehicle. At home in Binningen, they take Margrit all the way to her bedroom.
Related services
All services What we can drive for you
Hospital transfers
On a hospital transfer, we take patients from one institution to the next: from a hospital to another clinic, from an acute hospital to a care home or from a clinic back to hospital.
Learn more: Hospital transfers
Rehab transport
With our rehab transport, we take you to the rehabilitation clinic after a hospital stay and back home again afterwards – by stretcher, in a wheelchair or seated, with your luggage and aids.
Learn more: Rehab transportAnswers
Frequently asked questions: Patient stretcher
Is a patient stretcher the same as a litter?
In everyday language the terms are often used interchangeably. A litter is usually a simple stretcher without an undercarriage. A wheeled stretcher has wheels, is height-adjustable and is locked firmly in place in the vehicle.
Can a relative ride along during a stretcher transport?
Yes. At Mobimed, one companion rides free of charge with every type of transport. Mention this when booking so that the seat can be planned in.
How is a patient moved from the stretcher into bed?
The stretcher is lowered to bed level and the patient is moved across using slide sheets or with the help of two people. This way, nobody has to be lifted or pulled.
Glossary
All terms Related terms
Types of transportStretcher transportStretcher transport is a form of patient transport in which the person travels lying on a stretcher instead of in a seat.Types of transportStair chairA stair chair is a light, padded chair with straps and carrying handles that is used to carry patients safely up and down stairs.Quality and staffTransport assistantTransport assistants accompany medically stable patients during transport: they help them get in and out, secure the wheelchair and patient in the vehicle, drive and look after them on the way.EquipmentDefibrillator (AED)A defibrillator is a device that delivers a targeted electric shock in certain life-threatening heart rhythm disorders, above all ventricular fibrillation, so that the heart can return to an orderly rhythm.Occasions and assistanceHospital discharge (discharge management)Hospital discharge is the release from hospital after treatment.
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