Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Nurse-led research aims to improve battlefield medicine

Image of Military nurses working on a simulated patient in a helicopter. U.S. Army Maj. Jacob MacGregor (right) certified nurse anesthetist for the 541st Forward Surgical Team (Airborne), prepares an IV bag while Staff Sgt. Jolene Davis (kneeling left) flight medic for C Company, "Northstar Dustoff," 2-211th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance), performs a casualty assessment on a simulated casualty, U.S. Navy Operations Specialist 2nd Class Niretzy Hill, PRT tactical operations center watch-stander, while in flight on a UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopter during medical evacuation training on FOB Farah, Jan. 9. (Photo by Navy Chief Hospital Corpman Josh Ives.)

As the Department of Defense prepares for future military operations in the multi-domain environment, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) is working to develop solutions for the challenges of prolonged field care, particularly burn casualties, which are expected to be a major concern on the future battlefield.

“The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) is made up primarily of research and clinical arms. Together, one of their goals is to create novel solutions to optimize survival and functional recovery of burn casualties. This is achieved through expert analysis, multidisciplinary care, and translational research,” said Army nurse scientist Lt. Col. Christopher VanFosson, Ph.D., MHA, RN, NEA-BC, AN.

In detailing the mission and vision of the USAISR during the November Medical Museum Science Café, held virtually by the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland, VanFosson discussed how nurse-led research studies seek to improve military readiness in combat medicine. The museum is a division of the Defense Health Agency Research and Development Directorate.

To prepare for future conflicts within the multi-domain battlefield (air, land, maritime, space, and cyberspace), VanFosson and his team study ways to improve outcomes for a variety of operations, including continuing communications, injuries from new weapons systems, medical evacuation and prolonged care on the battlefield.

“One way the USAISR is trying to provide solutions for the multi-domain environment is through the U.S. Army Burn Center’s pre-deployment training. Burn care and the long-term sequela of burn injury are major concerns for the future battlefield,” said VanFosson.

According to VanFosson, due to the expected increase in burn-related injuries caused by new weaponry, burn management may become a large part of the care provided by combat medics in the future. Using the burn patient as a universal trauma model, the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center is an ideal training platform for medics to gain pre-combat trauma exposure and experience for the multi-domain battlefield.

In his presentation, VanFosson listed a variety of studies and papers that helped to inform clinical readiness and training based on outcomes seen in the Burn Center and in Afghanistan. For example, one paper in 2012 (Registered Nurses as Permanent Members of Medical Evacuation Crews: The Critical Link) argued for the use of registered nurses as permanent members of medical evacuation crews instead of retraining Army flight medics.

“Lieutenant Colonel Wissemann and I argued that transitioning Army flight medics to paramedics would not achieve the Army’s patient care goals because the active duty flight paramedics would not be able to achieve the exposure and practice that their reserve component counterparts could. However, Army nurses that function in ERs and ICUs on a daily basis had the requisite knowledge, skills, and ability to achieve [this],” said VanFosson.

The results of these studies directly impacted clinical readiness (a term expounded upon during the presentation) efforts in a variety of ways. They have informed Joint Trauma System clinical practice guidelines, highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of clinical readiness training, provided medical planners with better understanding of Role 2 (limited access to hospital facilities) surgical unit capabilities, supported the need for critical care nurses on medical evacuation flights, and finally, pushed for the continued use of the TIP-TOP/Clinical Transition Framework across the Defense Health Agency for clinical competency and consistency.

“We appreciate Lieutenant Colonel VanFosson’s contribution to our science café program,” said Andrea Schierkolk, the museum’s Public Programs Manager. “NMHM is honored to share accounts of triumphs and challenges in military medicine and we look forward to learning more about what’s happening in military medicine when the series resumes in January 2021.”

You also may be interested in...

How Military Medicine Is Preparing for the Next Conflict

Article
6/8/2022
As the Pentagon prepares today’s force for a “near-peer” fight against a large military adversary, the Military Health System is challenged to provide life-saving support for large-scale and dispersed operations.

As the Pentagon prepares today’s force for a “near-peer” fight against a large military adversary, the Military Health System is challenged to provide life-saving support for large-scale and dispersed operations. That’s especially true for the medics supporting troops on the front lines.

Army Doctor Earns Top Honors at Air Assault School at Fort Campbell

Article
6/3/2022
Army Doctor Earns Top Honors at Air Assault School at Fort Campbell

This Army doctor finished at the top of his class at the Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. It's a 10-day course that is both physically and academically challenging, teaching soldiers the foundations of heliborne operations to include troop transportation, sling loaded cargo and equipment transportation, medical and casualty evacuation operations, and air assault operations.

Could a Therapy Dog Help with Your Dental Anxiety?

Article
6/2/2022
Air Force Brig. Gen. Goldie, a facility therapy dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, helps reduce anxiety in a patient with complex dental conditions that require multiple appointments. The use of therapy dogs is part of an ongoing study with these patients.

A first-of-its-kind study at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is researching whether using facility therapy dogs in dentists’ offices could reduce patient anxiety and improve outcomes for military dental treatment programs.

Tips for Military Parents Planning PCS Moves with Children

Article
6/2/2022
Moving can be hard on military families, especially on children. Moving to a new home, going to a new school, finding new friends – it can be unsettling for kids of any age. Yet there are things that service members can do to prepare for a permanent change of station move that can make for a smoother transition for the children.

Moving can be hard on military families, especially on children. Moving to a new home, going to a new school, finding new friends – it can be unsettling for kids of any age. Yet, there are things that service members can do to prepare for a permanent change of station move that can make for a smoother transition for the children.

Corneal Collagen Cross Linking in the Military a Game Changer

Article
5/27/2022
Corneal collagen cross-linking, known as CXL, the first and only treatment to date that is proven to stop Keratoconus, KCN, progression.

Corneal collagen cross-linking, known as CXL, the first and only treatment to date that is proven to stop Keratoconus, KCN, progression.

Facility Dogs Play a Vital Role in Recovery for Patients Across the MHS

Article
5/27/2022
Luke is a German Shephard facility dog.

Each dog has his or her own rank, service, and uniform and is inducted in an enlistment or commissioning ceremony. Today, the Facility Dog Program at WRNMMC includes Sully, a yellow Lab who was former President George H.W. Bush’s service dog.

After Leading Through the Pandemic, TRICARE Pharmacy Chief Retires

Article
5/27/2022
Curbside Pharma

How COVID-driven changes are improving the TRICARE Pharmacy System.

How Health Care Providers Can Mitigate Burnout

Article
5/25/2022
U.S. Army Soldiers load a simulated patient on to a New Jersey National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter during a combat lifesaver course run by the Medical Simulation Training Center on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, April 14, 2022.  (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)

“No one is immune to burnout. Healthcare providers are very good at rescuing others. We train for it and practice it daily. Unfortunately, we often do so at the expense of our own health and wellness.”

Feeling Burned Out at Work? Here Are Some Tips to Feel Better

Article
5/24/2022
Feeling burned out? Tips to understand and avoid burnout.

The good news is that burnout can be mitigated. There are numerous steps that individuals and leaders can take to reduce burnout and its impact.

Future of Nursing: Telehealth, More Innovation and Maybe Some Robots

Article
5/13/2022
Second Lt. Nina Hoskins, 81st Surgical Operations Squadron operating room nurse, briefs Col. Debra Lovette, 81st Training Wing commander, and other base leadership on robotics surgery capabilities inside the robotics surgery clinic at the Keesler Medical Center June 16, 2017. (Photo: Kemberly Groue, U.S. Air Force)

The future of nursing is here due in part to changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iraq Bomb Attack Led Soldier to Pursue Medical Career

Article
5/12/2022
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Mathew Maxwell (Left) and U.S. Capt. Brian Ahern, medical personnel assigned to a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team, check the pulse of a local villager during excavation operations in the Houaphan province, Laos, Feb. 5, 2019.

Treating wounded soldiers for the first time was a life-changing experience for this enlisted medic.

How One Military Nurse Persevered Through the COVID-19 Response

Article
5/5/2022
Air Force Capt. Courtney Ebeling, a medical-surgical nurse at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Family Health Clinic, Texas, was deployed to support the COVID-19 response in Afghanistan in 2021. They administered vaccinations to U.S. citizens, service members, and foreign military members as well as supported the preparation to withdraw from the country. (Photo: Courtesy of Air Force Capt. Courtney Ebeling)

Nurses across the Military Health System have played a vital role in providing routine patient care and meeting the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I Love the Intensity’ – One Nurse Recalls Three COVID-19 Deployments

Article
5/5/2022
In 2020, Air Force 1st Lt. Tiffany Parra, an ICU nurse at the 633rd Medical Group, on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, was deployed to a North Dakota hospital to support a FEMA COVID-19 mission. In the photo, she trains on equipment used for critical patients in a North Dakota ICU. (Photo: Courtesy of Air Force 1st Lt. Tiffany Parra)

Nurses are unique, they follow a calling to care for others. Military nurses do that as well as serve their nation. For Nurses Week, the MHS highlights some of their own.

DHA Director Outlines Vision for Health Care Readiness at HIMSS

Article
4/11/2022
Army Lt. General (Dr.) Ron Place during his speech at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference held in Orlando, Florida, March 2022. Place’s speech detailed his thoughts on solutions to military health care readiness. (Photo: Claire Reznicek, MHS Communications)

During his speech at HIMSS, Lt. Gen. Place discusses clear and present dangers to military medical care.

Dr. Jay Montgomery Details Importance of the Immunization Healthcare Division

Article
4/8/2022
Dr. Jay Montgomery is a medical director for DHA’s Immunization Healthcare Division. In addition to being a clinician and educator, he also volunteers with Wounded Warriors to design, build and fly radio controlled helicopters. (Courtesy Photo)

Dr. Jay Montgomery is a medical director for the Defense Health Agency’s Immunization Healthcare Division’s North Atlantic Region Vaccine Safety Hub. In his role, Montgomery helps address vaccine and immunization questions and concerns.

Page 3 of 9 , showing items 31 - 45
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: May 01, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery