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Objectives: This article describes the detailed project aimed to realize a dedicated ground ambulance for neonatal emergency transport service (NETS). To date, the European Community rules specify requirements for the design, testing, performance, and equipping of road ambulance used for transport and care of adult injured or ill patients, completely ignoring neonatal transport., Methods: The project consisted of electric and gas supply planning, interior design taking into account ergonomic and occupant protection principles, both during travel and during medical care performances., Results: A detailed project is presented. Main differences between European Type C ambulance and the new proposed Type D neonatal ground ambulance are the presence on board of air compressed cylinder, iNO cylinders and delivery system, phototheraphy, shock adsorbing stretcher support, cooling device, patient's placenta (refrigeration box), and transcutaneous gas analyzer., Conclusion: The European Community rules specify requirements for road ambulance used for transport and care of adult injured or ill patients, completely ignoring neonatal transport. This study describes the detailed project aimed to realize a dedicated ground ambulance for neonatal emergency transport service. This study demonstrated that it is not possible simply to adapt the currently dedicated ambulance for mobile intensive care and resuscitation services (actual type C European Community) in a modern dedicated NETS ambulance; it is of paramount importance suggesting to European Community to introduce a further ambulance type, to be identified type D, strictly reserved to neonatal transport activities.

Unbiased estimates of incidence rates of accidents with blood contaminations (ABC) and time trends is the milieu for assessing the effectiveness of preventive interventions. A standardised procedure for registration and follow-up of ABC was et up in a North Italian hospital since 2002. Accurate estimates of rate denominator, as full-time equivalent (FTE) person-years, was calculated, for exposed workers only and excluding periods of prolonged absence. In the observation period (2004-2011), training courses for head nurses on security procedures were repeatedly carried out as well as the progressive introduction of vacuum blood collection systems (since 2009). 1287 ABC have been reported, corresponding to an overall annual crude incidence rate of 4.73 per 100 FTE. Temporal trends, calculated on the biennial incidence, resulted in a reductions over the time period considered, in particular for needlestick injuries. Our results support the notions on the efficacy of the adopted prevention measures.