Military medicine
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Triage of medical care, whether necessary because of routine daily limitations or forced by exceptional circumstances, such as for soldiers injured in combat or civilians in mass casualty situations, is increasingly coming under scrutiny. The decisions that limit access to fundamental and even life-or-death treatments are fraught with controversy. These decisions are difficult for the medical provider to make and are even more difficult for the patient to understand. ⋯ Both provider and patient can feel that triage is immoral. In contrast, when triage is taught proactively and reviewed relative to the situation, the ethical principles that guide triage are evident and intact. Both provider and patient must learn the considerations and consequences of triage.
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Literature has generously documented the stress of military members and their families during deployments in noncombat periods. Deployment has been shown to increase the needs of family members for health care, both physical and psychological. The purpose of this study was to describe the health care needs and perceived stressors of active duty members deployed to Iraq during the predeployment, mid-deployment, and postdeployment phases. ⋯ Active duty members in all phases of deployment had equally disturbing levels of anxiety. All phases reported suicidal ideation at alarming rates (2.4% in predeployment, 4.9% in mid-deployment, and 3% in postdeployment). This study sheds new light on the stressors and subsequent health care needs of active duty members on carriers during war and provides valuable information for the prevention of high-risk anxieties and subsequent health risks for all service members during similar deployments.
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To describe health patterns in evacuated military members during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and utilize demographic, diagnostic, and pre- and postdeployment health information to understand the utility of data collected for aeromedical evacuations. ⋯ Combining data sources increases our understanding of disease patterns in deployed troops. Targeted preventive interventions can then be implemented. Changes in the U.S. Transportation Command's Regulating and Command & Control Evacuation System database can improve its utility as an epidemiological tool.