Military medicine
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The Brazilian Air Force (BAF) personnel must be prepared to perform their professional activities under the worst conditions. This preparation goes beyond habits of practicing physical activity, since it is necessary to perform specific physical tasks, referred to as "combat tasks" (CTs). This study aimed to investigate a combination of specific physical tests (SPTs) for predicting physical performance on simulated tasks (STs) that mimicked the performance of CTs. ⋯ In conclusion, this study identified a test battery for predicting performance on the following STs: foot march, casualty drag, and move under direct fire. This finding represents the first step to improve the reliability of the BAF physical assessments, focusing on combat readiness levels.
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Mental health treatment is a service for military service members who have experienced psychological injury or trauma. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with treatment can prevent many service members from seeking and receiving treatment designed to help them recover. Previous studies have examined the impacts of stigma among military personnel as well as civilians; however, stigma among service members currently receiving mental health treatment is unknown. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships between stigma, demographic variables, and mental health symptoms in a sample of active duty service members receiving mental health services in a partial hospitalization program. ⋯ In this active duty military cohort, greater mental health stigma was associated with greater severity of mental health symptoms, especially post-traumatic stress symptoms. Some evidence found that ethnicity may also play a role in stigma score differences, particularly in the Asian/Pacific Islander group. Service providers could consider assessing mental health stigma to meet the clinical needs of their patients within the context of their willingness to obtain and adhere to treatment. Anti-stigma efforts to reduce stigma and its impacts on mental health are discussed. Additional research investigating the effect stigma has on treatment outcomes would help guide the relative importance of assessing stigma, in addition to other behavioral health realms.
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Cognitive-motor interference is the decrease in cognitive performance and/or physical performance occurring when a cognitive task and a physical task are performed concurrently (dual task) compared to when they are performed in isolation (single task). The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity and test-retest reliability of two cognitive-motor interference tests in military contexts. ⋯ These findings suggest that the Running + Word Recall Task test is a valid and reliable dual-tasking test that could be used to assess cognitive-motor interference in military contexts.
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Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is an acute complication of hyperthyroidism. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is treatable, and the management consists of potassium correction, beta-blockers, and antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy. While TPP is well described in the literature, we describe a case of TPP with urticarial dermographia (UD) that resolved with a short course of antihistamines while continuing ATD therapy. ⋯ Current recommendations are that minor cutaneous reactions can be treated with antihistamines for the management of Graves' disease. However, this case and others show that even moderate reactions can be managed in this manner. In a patient with TPP with UD after treatment with MMI, it is reasonable to attempt a trial of antihistamine before changing to another ATD.
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Over the last 200 years, the "medic" has demonstrated its value at the point of injury care. Unfortunately, when medics leave military service with their medical skills, they have limited direct employment options available to them without added educational requirements. Fortunately, the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) innovation of the Intermediate Care Technician (ICT) Program has a solution for that problem. This article will look at the Veterans Affairs' creation of the ICT Program, investigate its origins, evaluate where it is today through the lens of the WHO Task-Shifting Model for healthcare system implementation, and address the ICT Programs' potential for tomorrow. ⋯ The VHA ICT Program demonstrates to the U.S. Healthcare System a validated and reliable program to address healthcare worker shortages, reduce healthcare costs, increase access to care, and manage increasing demand for healthcare.