Military medicine
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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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Operative case volumes for military surgeons are reported to be significantly lower than civilian counterparts. Among the concern that this raises is an inability of military surgeons to achieve mastery of their craft. ⋯ Obtaining mastery of general surgery is a nearly impossible proposition given the current care models at Army MTFs. Alternative staffing and patient care models should be developed if Army surgeons are to be masters at their craft.
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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.