Military medicine
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In the recent conflicts, unprecedented numbers of US service personnel have survived with genitourinary (GU) injury, but few reports have focused on outcomes of these injuries. Outcomes of combat-related GU injury were investigated in wounded US male veterans of Operations Enduring/Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn receiving Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. ⋯ We identified an opportunity to improve the diagnosis and coordination of care for veterans with GU injury. Routine screening and better documentation upon transfer from DoD to VHA care should be implemented to alert multi-specialty care teams to provide care for the urinary, sexual, fertility, and psychological health problems of these patients.
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Chronic low back pain represents one of the most common sources of disability and a significant healthcare burden for the U. S. military. Present treatments for chronic back pain are often ineffective, poorly tolerated, invasive, destructive, and/or associated with complications and lead to the progression to invasive surgical procedures. ⋯ Subjects also experienced reductions in opioid and non-opioid analgesic medication usage and reported improvements in quality of life with treatment. There were no serious or unanticipated adverse events. These results demonstrate the potential of percutaneous PNS as a non-surgical therapy to treat chronic back pain without opioids.
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Physicians in the military often take leadership roles much earlier in their career than their civilian counterparts. Military Graduate Medical Education programs must continue to provide relevant leadership training that prepares graduates for their imminent leadership roles. The following article illustrates the experience of a junior Army Medical Corps Officer deployed shortly after residency. His case illustrates how he utilized the tools and lessons learned from the professional development and leadership training in his residency to assure the operational readiness and success of his unit.