Objective To reduce adverse events during intra-hospital transport of the critically ill patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Methods A research group was set up to develop a checklist for intra-hospital transport of the critically ill on ECMO. Then a two-cycle action research consisting of plan, act, observe and reflect was employed to identify problems in clinical practice of the checklist and to improve the checklist. The incidence of adverse events was compared before and after the intervention. Results After two-cycle of action research, the incidence of adverse events during intra-hospital transport of the critically ill patients on ECMO decreased from 45.00% to 18.75%. Conclusion Checklist developed through action research for intra-hospital transport of the critically ill on ECMO, can reduce adverse events and guarantee patient safety.