Military medicine
-
This paper is a brief description of the impact that the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic has had on both mental health and U. S. Navy policies through the narrative of a deployed enlisted sailor, medically evacuated from Japan. ⋯ We believe that the sailor presented introduces a discussion about the impacts of heightened restrictions on some personality types. As the pandemic has continued to impact and reshape every facet of force health protection, we believe that understanding the impact of public health orders on individuals with specific personality disorders or traits will help us provide care and leadership counsel going forward. The discussion within our case report provides insight and an opportunity for healthcare providers to reflect.
-
Interchangeability-i.e., the capacity to change places with another-is necessary for military interprofessional health care teams (MIHTs) to provide around-the-clock patient care. However, while interchangeability is clearly a necessity for modern health care delivery, it raises uncomfortable questions for civilian health care teams where it is usually labeled as unsafe. This perception surfaces because interchangeability runs counter to some of health care's cultural beliefs including those around patient ownership and professional scopes of practice. It is, therefore, not surprising that little is known about whether and how some level of interchangeability can be harnessed to improve the productivity of health care teams overall. In this article, we explore the notion of interchangeability in the particular context of MIHTs given that these health care teams are familiar with it. This exploration will offer insights into how interchangeability could maximize civilian health care teams' capacity to adapt. ⋯ Interchangeability can be understood through the theoretical lens of Swarm Intelligence and more specifically, the principle of collective self-healing-which is the ability of collectives to continue to successfully perform despite disruption, challenges, or the loss of a team member. Our findings highlight how MIHTs have adopted interchangeability in a wide array of contexts to realize collective self-healing. Despite the discomfort it provokes, we suggest that interchangeability could be a powerful asset to civilian health care teams.
-
Review
Military Interprofessional Healthcare Teams: Identifying the Characteristics That Support Success.
Military interprofessional healthcare teams (MIHTs) are foundational to the care provided to military members and their families. However, to date, very little research has investigated MIHTs. Notably, we have few insights into what distinguishes successful MIHTs. ⋯ We provide an overview of the USU-supported research and of the findings that were generated by that inquiry. After summarizing the manuscripts included in this special edition of Military Medicine, we close by acknowledging and thanking key members of the U. S. military healthcare system who supported this research.
-
The U.S. Military has long been aware of the vital role effective leaders play in high-functioning teams. Recently, attention has also been paid to the role of followers in team success. However, despite these investigations, the leader-follower dynamic in military interprofessional health care teams (MIHTs) has yet to be studied. Although interprofessional health care teams have become a topic of increasing importance in the civilian literature, investigations of MIHTs have yet to inform that body of work. To address this gap, our research team set out to study MIHTs, specifically focusing on the ways in which team leaders and followers collaborate in MIHTs. We asked what qualities of leadership and followership support MIHT collaboration? ⋯ This study focused on ways in which team leaders and followers on MIHTs collaborate. Findings focused on qualities of leadership and followership that support MIHT's collaboration and found that MIHTs have a commitment to a shared mission and a shared sense of responsibility to achieve that mission. From this foundational position of collective responsibility to achieve a common goal, MIHTs develop ways of collaborating that enable leaders and followers to excel to include (1) understanding your role and the roles of others; (2) mutual respect; (3) flexibility; and (4) emotional safety. The study data suggest that MIHT members work along a continuum of leadership and followership, which may shift at any moment. Military interprofessional health care teams members are advised to be adaptive to these shared roles and contextual changes. We recommend that all members of MIHTs acquire leadership and followership training to enhance team performance.
-
Perseverance-doing something despite difficulty-is an asset to healthcare professionals, yet not all providers display this trait. The literature offers no conceptualization of perseverance as it relates to military caregivers. This research sought to explore the perseverance displayed by members of military interprofessional healthcare teams (MIHTs) and to construct a framework for explaining the role of perseverance in MIHTs' collaborative work. ⋯ These six practices appear connected in significant ways to support the MIHTs' efforts. Humility, mission focus, and team effort can help team members collaborate as a unified and mutually supportive team. From this base, MIHTs seemed able to become comfortable with discomfort and to refuse failure as an option. These orientations then allowed the team to engage in continuous improvement. Together, these practices may enhance team perseverance and ultimately team performance.