Military medicine
-
Brain injuries are complicated medical problems and their management requires data from disparate sources to extract actionable information. In neurocritical care, interoperability is lacking despite the perceived benefits. Several efforts have been underway, but none have been widely adopted, underscoring the difficulty of achieving this goal. ⋯ Overall, the hidden cost for successful data collection was initially underestimated. Although the use of bedside data integration solutions, such as the Moberg's Component Neuromonitoring System (Moberg Research, Inc., Ambler, PA, USA) or ICM+ software (Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge, UK), facilitated the homogenous collection of synchronized data, there remain issues that need to be addressed by the neurocritical care community. To this end, we have organized a Working Group on Neurocritical Care Informatics, whose next step is to create an overarching informatics framework that takes advantage of the collected information to answer scientific questions and to accelerate the translation of trial results to actions benefitting military medicine.
-
Overuse injuries are responsible for most lost training days and attrition from combat training in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as in armies around the world. The purpose of this study is to understand the rates, types, and mechanism of occurrence of overuse injuries in the IDF in order to provide the IDF's commanders a detailed updated situation report in order to enable commanders decision-making, prevention policy, and further research of this highly significant military public health issue. ⋯ As in other armies around the world, overuse injuries in the IDF are a major public health problem and poses a significant challenge to the IDF's commanders and the medical corps policy leaders. Further studies should be performed in order to identify the risk factors for these injuries especially in the lower back and the lower limb regions as part of the effort to try and reduce the rates of these injuries as much as possible. This study emphasizes the need for a continuous surveillance and monitoring system for overuse injuries as a significant and integral component of any intervention plan in the domain of overuse injuries.
-
Combat-related thoracic trauma (CRTT) is a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality of the casualties from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Penetrating, blunt, and blast injuries are the most common mechanisms of trauma to the chest. Imaging plays a key role in the battlefield management of CRTT casualties. This work discusses the imaging manifestations of thoracic injuries from blunt trauma and blast injury, emphasizing epidemiology and diagnostic clues seen during OEF and OIF. ⋯ CRTT continues to be a significant contributor to the morbidity and mortality of those injured during OEF and OIF. The distinct injury patterns and atypical imaging manifestations of blunt trauma and blast lung injury are important to recognize early because of the acuity of this patient population and the influence of accurate diagnosis on clinical management.
-
In 2015, the Army mandated 100% digital storage of telehealth consent forms (DA4700) in the Health Artifact and Image Management Solution (HAIMS) system, and a telebehavioral health (TBH) hub clinic set an aim to accomplish this by improving adherence to referral procedures essential to expanding patient access to videoconferenced (VC) behavioral health care. ⋯ Consultant preparation of telehealth new intake consent forms effectively improved form completeness and increased adherence to new intake referral processes essential to this hub clinic expanding patient access to TBH care.
-
The health concerns for military women who serve in austere environments include feminine hygiene, risk of infection, and limited knowledge of gynecologic conditions, symptoms, and prevention. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Women's Health Promotion Program (WHPP) for Austere Environments that was implemented in the military community setting of a large operational military unit on a southeastern U. S. military base. ⋯ The WHPP was offered to 49 military units (none of which declined) and presented to 443 military women in those units. One year after the implementation of the WHPP, the rates of urinary tract infections, vaginal candidiasis infections, and menstrual disorders decreased among the units that participated in the WHPP. These findings lay the foundation for an Army-wide adoption of this WHPP that could enhance readiness in military women.