Military-civilian trauma system partnership developed

(HealthDay)—A growing partnership between the Military Health System and permanent civilian trauma institutions is being fostered, according to an article published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

M. Margaret Knudson, M.D., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues discuss the development of a fully integrated military-civilian trauma system that can train military surgeons before deployment, retain their skills during deployment, and use lessons from the battlefield to enhance civilian trauma care.

The authors note that during recent prolonged conflicts there was an unprecedented improvement in military casualty care; however, there is a risk of losing skills and these proficiencies during periods between conflicts. To address the challenges facing military surgeons, which include a lack of standard pre-deployment training and the retention of critical surgical skills, the Clinical Readiness Project was developed, which includes periodic assessment of knowledge and abilities; pre-deployment assessment of procedural skills; appropriate training and retraining when necessary; and development of a measurable readiness value.

"The American College of Surgeons has a long history of partnering with the military," Knudson said in a statement. "Our role as the College is to assist our military colleagues with preserving the lessons learned over the past 17 years of conflict through preservation of the Joint Trauma System and by expanding military-civilian training platforms to assure combat readiness."

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