我國首次空中緊急醫療轉送法定傳染病（SARS可能病患）之實務經驗

In 2003, the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic spread widely across Asia. Taiwan inevitably was seriously affected by the outbreak. The geographical background of Taiwan, With several remote islands, has led to an unequal development of healthcare between Taiwan and the offshore islands. In response to the SARS outbreak, which might have spread to the remote islands, there was an urgent need for the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a standardized operational procedure for the air medical transport of patients with suspect SARS from such remote islands to medical facilities in Taiwan. The DOH authorized the National Aeromedical Consultation Center (NACC) to be responsible for the criteria-based approval of such a process. The NACC designates which body, either the International SOS or the Air Fire Fighter, would be assigned for such an operation. Here, we report on the first SARS patient to be successfully transported to a SARS treatment hospital in Taiwan. The medical repatriation was completed using a combination of a Portable Isolation Unit (PIU) and the application of universal precaution protocols. The purpose of this report is to provide a description of the standard operation procedure relevant for the transportation of SARS patients in such circumstances.