What are the three tiers of care in critical care transport?

• A. Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III transports
• B. Tier A, Tier B, and Tier C
• C. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
• D. Basic, Intermediate, Advanced

Answer: (A)

In critical care transport, care levels are organized to match how much monitoring, equipment, and clinical capability a patient needs en route. The three tiers are Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III transports.

Tier I covers basic transfers with standard equipment and minimal monitoring, suitable for relatively stable patients. Tier II ramps up with enhanced monitoring and more advanced life-support capabilities, staffed by teams trained for higher-acuity situations. Tier III is the most capable, providing ICU-level transport with invasive monitoring, mechanical ventilation management, vasoactive media, and other advanced interventions as needed.

Other naming schemes like Primary/Secondary/Tertiary describe hospital care levels rather than the transport tier structure, and Basic/Intermediate/Advanced isn’t the standard framework used for categorizing critical care transports.