Military medicine
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Retention is a top priority for the U.S. Navy. However, our understanding of factors influencing retention of Navy personnel is limited. Current research implies that poor mental health, low appraisals of unit cohesion, low leadership satisfaction, and low social support may adversely affect retention. There is a need to understand how these and other factors influence retention in U.S. Navy personnel. We evaluated a broad range of factors influencing job satisfaction and career intentions (proxies of retention) in a large sample of Navy service members. ⋯ In this study, we identified diverse predictors of job satisfaction and career intentions of Navy men and women, with overall models accounting for substantial variance in both outcomes. This study informs evidence-based policies, programs, practices, and processes designed to influence job satisfaction, career intentions, and retention in U.S. Navy service members. These study findings also inform the development of a dashboard indicator of retention of U.S. Navy men and women.
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We investigated the correlation and association between serum uric acid (SUA) and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) criteria in military individuals. ⋯ Elevated SUA was significantly associated with the presence of LVDD criteria, namely, septal e' velocity <7, in military individuals. Maintaining SUA levels within normal limits may prevent the development of LVDD.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading all over the world. Health systems around the globe have to deal with decreased capabilities and exhausted resources because of the surge of patients. The need to identify COVID-19 patients to achieve a timely opportunity to treat and isolate them is an ongoing challenge for health care professionals everywhere. A lack of testing capabilities forces clinicians to make the crucial initial decision on the basis of clinical findings and routine diagnostic laboratory test. This article reviews the current literature and presents a new adapted protocol for diagnosing and triaging COVID-19 patients. A special emphasis lies on the stepwise approach guiding the medical provider to a triage decision that is suitable for the individual patient and the situation of the local medical treatment facility. ⋯ The designed Early Recognition and Triage Tool enables the medical provider to use the applicable modules of the protocol for capabilities of the local setting to get the most appropriate diagnostic and triage done. The tool should give guidance for the initial approach until specific testing for the COVID-19 virus is available.
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Dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak required a rapid adjustment to an unfamiliar and unique situation. The current study aimed to identify the challenges faced by Israeli Air Force (IAF) career personnel. ⋯ Life under the COVID-19 threat increased stress factors in the military career population. While reporting greater challenges and higher levels of stress, most of the respondents preferred a brief, focused consultation adjusted to the situation rather than conventional psychological help. The command challenge and the perceived responsibility stood above and beyond all variables examined in the present study.
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Cutaneous tuberculosis (TB) is an uncommon form of extrapulmonary TB that can be difficult to diagnose. The following case is about a 14-year-old female who was experiencing delayed wound healing after an incision and drainage of a chest wall abscess. ⋯ Although TB is relatively uncommon in the United States, it is more prevalent in the Republic of Korea where the patient lives and was evaluated. This case serves to illustrate the long history of challenges the military medical community has faced with TB and to remind providers to be cognizant about local common diseases when serving overseas and include these diagnoses in their differentials.