Articles: treatment.
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Postpartum depression impacts 1 in 8 women in the United States. Research has indicated maternity leave duration, and compensation can have an impact on postpartum depression symptoms. The U.S. military increased their maternity leave provision from 6 to 12 weeks in 2016. The aim of this study was to expand upon current literature on the role of maternity leave on postpartum depression by analyzing objective data from 2011 to 2019 utilizing military health records. ⋯ Our results indicate increasing paid maternity leave in the military from 6 to 12 weeks did initially lower the odds of postpartum depression diagnosis among active duty women from immediately after policy implementation (2016) and prior to the release of the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines on Pregnancy Management (2018). Later, increased odds of depression (2018-2019) are likely due to increased depression screening protocols at the Military Treatment Facilities in the perinatal period.
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Prolonged exposure therapy is an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder that is underutilized in health systems, including the military health system. Organizational barriers to prolonged exposure implementation have been hypothesized but not systematically examined. This multisite project sought to identify barriers to increasing the use of prolonged exposure across eight military treatment facilities and describe potential solutions to addressing these barriers. ⋯ The findings highlight the numerous organizational-level barriers to implementing evidence-based psychotherapy in the military health system and offer potential solutions that may be helpful in addressing the barriers.
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Acute acoustic trauma (AAT) is characterized by cochlea-vestibular signs following intense noise exposure, often caused by impulse noise. French military faces a high risk of AAT because of the use of weapons with peak sound levels exceeding 150 dB. Hearing loss (HL) resulting from AAT can have a significant impact on quality of life and operational capacity. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of long-term hearing impairment after AAT. ⋯ This study highlights the prevalence of long-term hearing impairment after AAT in the French military. The findings emphasize the importance of preventive measures, including proper use of hearing protection devices, and the need for timely diagnosis and treatment. Further research is warranted to explore gender susceptibility to AAT and evaluate the impact of different weapons on AAT characteristics. The study also underscores the potential benefits of higher doses of corticosteroid therapy in reducing the risk of long-term hearing impairment. Overall, the findings contribute to a better understanding of AAT and can inform strategies for its prevention and management in military settings.
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The US Army Burn Center, the only burn center in the Department of Defense provides comprehensive burn care. The Burn Flight Team (BFT) provides specialized burn care during transcontinental evacuation. During Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, burn injuries accounted for approximately 5% of all injuries in military personnel. To augment BFT capacity, US Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) mobilized to transport burn patients. The purpose of this study was to describe critically ill, burn injured patients transported to the US Army Burn Center by BFT or CCATT, to compare and contrast characteristics, evacuation procedures, in-flight treatments, patient injuries/illnesses, and outcomes between the two groups. ⋯ Evacuation by the BFT was associated with increased ICU and ventilator days, increased mortality, and a greater risk for developing renal failure. The severity of injury/TBSA likely accounted for most of these differences.