Collaboration between Civilian and Military Healthcare Professionals: A Better Way for Planning, Preparing, and Responding to All Hazard Domestic Events

Abstract

Collaboration is used by the US National Security Council as a means to integrate inter-federal government agencies during planning and execution of common goals towards unified, national security. The concept of collaboration has benefits in the healthcare system by building trust, sharing resources, and reducing costs. The current terrorist threats have made collaborative medical training between military and civilian agencies crucial.This review summarizes the long and rich history of collaboration between civilians and the military in various countries and provides support for the continuation and improvement of collaborative efforts. Through collaboration, advances in the treatment of injuries have been realized, deaths have been reduced, and significant strides in the betterment of the Emergency Medical System have been achieved. This review promotes collaborative medical training between military and civilian medical professionals and provides recommendations for the future based on medical collaboration.

Facilitators and constrainers of civilian–military collaboration: the Swedish perspectives

“…The current terrorist threats have made collaborative medical training between military and civilian agencies crucial [6]. The complexity of injuries and the discrepancies in experience between civilian and military healthcare systems is another important indication for CMC.…”

“…The increasing risk of natural and man-made disasters indicates a need for collaboration between different agencies in all aspects of emergency management [1][2][3]. Even though civilian-military collaboration (CMC) has a long history in various areas, their collaboration within the healthcare varies in different countries due to their international engagement, neutrality, and domestic needs [4][5][6][7]. Recent terror attacks on civilians worldwide, exhibits new unpredictable incidents, with variation in character, magnitude, target, and medical outcomes (severe combat-like injuries).…”

“…In Vietnam, important advances in combat casualty care such as the rapid helicopter transport of casualties, the creation of dedicated trauma centers, minimization of post-trauma renal failure through crystalloid resuscitation, and the use of mechanical ventilators to support patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome were made. These advances and facilitators have been translated into civilian practice and constitute historical evidence of fruitful CMC in peace-and wartime [4][5][6][7][8]27]. Over the centuries, the military has used staff from civilian healthcare to provide care to the wounded soldiers.…”

Non-medical aspects of civilian–military collaboration in management of major incidents

“…Although CM collaboration is common in battle areas, especially within the field of healthcare, relatively few studies have scrutinized the effects of such collaboration from a civilian perspective [ 4 , 5 ]. In all examples of overwhelming mass casualties, the civilian society is in dire need of support from military resources.…”

Maximizing Utility of a Deployable Medical Team from an Academic Medical Center to a Disaster

“…Because of our MOU with the Navy, we are supporting the Navy's ongoing humanitarian mission in the Caribbean and Central/South America (Operation Continuing Promise). Collaboration during non-disaster times allows AMC deployment team members to provide humanitarian assistance, gain experience in delivering healthcare to underdeveloped nations and in austere conditions, and (in our case) to become familiar with Navy customs, standard operating procedures, and mission priorities (Marklund et al 2010). It also allows the AMC to build leadership, trust, and legitimacy within the partner organization, a cornerstone of cross-sector collaboration proposed by Bryson, Crosby, and Stone (2006).…”