Joint Task Force “Forward Care” Multicomponent Health Service Support for an Army Reserve Separate Infantry Brigade (Mechanized)—Part III

Abstract

At the conclusion of 4 years' careful study of the health services support of a separate infantry brigade (mechanized) during the unit's annual training periods, the authors report on the effectiveness of a support team consisting of Army Reserve medical elements, an Active Army field unit, and a Public Health Service Clearing/Staging unit joining forces in a field environment to provide real world medical care to the same unit in a follow-on annual training period. The emphasis of the team created was on validating the forward care concept of field medical support. The result of this effort was "state of the art" medical service to the troops in the most forward areas, and a savings of 0.66 training days per soldier out of 10 days possible field training time. The cross-training of joint elements was enhanced by providing hands-on treatment of soldiers in a tactical environment, training that cannot be adequately replaced by simulated training.

Disease Intervention Specialists as a Resource in a Public Health Emergency

“…18 Other health professions, such as medicine and nursing, also use available workers to perform functions outside their normal duties as needed, and cross-training is typically provided. Cross-training also has been shown to increase responder readiness among emergency medical personnel, 19 to increase patient care efficiency and decrease costs in public health nursing, 20 to increase recruitment and retention of nurses in hospital settings, 21 to decrease required days of medical training in military settings, 22 and to provide better patient care in settings where dual diagnoses are common. 23,24 During the anthrax attacks of 2001, public health professionals learned the value of cross-training for the various roles involved in the anthrax investigation.…”