Military medicine
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Military and commercial stakeholders are investing to explore the use of hypersonic aircraft and orbital spacecraft to transport cargo, medical supplies, passengers, and casualties. These vehicle platforms require periods of sustained acceleration, but to date, these dynamic forces have not been comprehensively considered in the environment of critical care patient movement because injured patients and advanced aeromedical evacuation (AE) equipment are rarely subjected to these conditions. While military AE equipment does undergo crash hazard acceleration testing, equipment functionality during or after sustained acceleration remains to be evaluated. This study was performed to fill that knowledge gap. ⋯ The EMV+ 731 ventilator and Propaq MD cardiac monitor had reliable clinical performance despite sustained acceleration. This knowledge will facilitate immediate follow-on experimentation with advanced models of combat injury during simulated medical evacuation in sustained acceleration environments.
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Leadership development is of the utmost importance as the Army Medical Department prepares for future conflicts. All Army Medical Department leaders, including nurses, need to be prepared to lead in a high-tempo, complex environment. Nurse leader effectiveness is paramount to military readiness as well as for recruitment and retention within the Army Nurse Corps (ANC). Both Army talent management and Defense Health Agency documents recognize the importance of Emotional Intelligence principles for successful leadership. Resonant Leadership (RL) is informed by Emotional Intelligence principles and is well-studied within nursing literature. Additionally, the body of evidence examining RL demonstrates a positive impact on the nurse work environment. The purpose of this concept analysis is to define RL within the context of Army nursing, to clarify how this concept relates to Army leadership doctrine, and to propose innovative application(s) of RL within the ANC. ⋯ Resonant Leadership bridges the gap between frontline nursing leadership development, the Army leadership model, and the DHA's Joint Professional Practice Model for nurses. By focusing on developing resonance, Army nurse leaders can simultaneously demonstrate many of the attributes and competencies the Army describes within its leadership doctrine. Although further research is needed to determine the prevalence of RL within Army nursing, RL has applicability to practice and military education. RL is one tool at the disposal of ANC senior to leaders to promote healthy work environments while preparing competent leaders for the complexities of future combat operations.
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The terror attack on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel resulted in approximately 1,200 civilians and security personnel killed. Of the civilians murdered, approximately 200 men, women, and children were murdered inside their homes, while the remaining casualties were murdered in an open field at a music festival, in their cars, or in the streets of local cities. ⋯ This paper reports on a possible change in the nature of terror and battlefield injuries and alerts emergency organizations and military forces worldwide to prepare for the need of treating more blast injuries, burns, smoke inhalation, and asphyxiation.
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The education of military medical providers typically relies on assessments with established passing parameters to help ensure individuals are equipped to care for those in harm's way. Evaluations of medical knowledge are often provided by governing bodies and are supported by strong validity evidence. In contrast, assessing an individual's leadership skills presents a challenge, as tools with robust validity evidence for leadership evaluation are not yet as widely available as clinical assessment tools. This challenge becomes even more complex in simulated environments designed to mimic intense operational conditions. ⋯ This study provides validity evidence for the Bushmaster leader assessment tool, confirming its ability to measure leader performance in military medical education. The findings highlight the importance of standardized faculty training in ensuring consistent evaluations, as variations in scores were influenced more by evaluation conditions than by differences among students or evaluators.