Combat stressors and post‐traumatic stress in deployed military healthcare professionals: an integrative review

Abstract

Results of this review and other supporting literature indicate the need for a systematic approach to studying combat stress and post-traumatic stress in deployed healthcare providers.

Mapping the field of military nursing research 1990–2013: A bibliometric review

“…In keeping with the concept of knowledge transfer, these factors indicate the increasing potential to translate knowledge gained from nursing research to other health professions. Examples include helicopter evacuation services patient outcome and projects based in mental health (Brewer and Ryan-Wenger, 2009;Ebbs and Timmons, 2008;Finnegan and Finnegan, 2007;Finnegan et al, 2013;Gibbons et al, 2011;Kee et al, 2005;Lairet et al, 2013). This shift also acknowledges the collaborative nature of military healthcare and as a marker of bibliometric profile it signals that the field of military nursing is open to transfer to other disciplines (Estabrooks et al, 2004).…”

“…The injury patterns from ballistic trauma present challenges for all specialties of nursing involved in the patients' care, particularly as a large proportion of patients, up to 69%, injured in the second Gulf War (2003( -2011( ) and/or Afghanistan (2001( -2014 suffered polytrauma (Bridges, 2010, p. S75). Providing care for injured patients in military operational environments requires military nurses to take consideration of constraints in resources, such as equipment, time and environmental conditions and this often requires nurses to adapt their approach to https://repository.uwc.ac.za/ 3 care to suit a particular situation in order to optimize health outcomes.…”

Gender Differences in Response to Deployment Among Military Healthcare Providers in Afghanistan and Iraq

“…[18][19][20][21] This potential outcome or problem deserves to be addressed with the current cohort of military women. Female HCPs serving in the current military conflicts are reporting significant psychologic distress that may adversely impact their function within the military and in theaters of operations, as well as after deployment.…”

“…The PCL can be scored several different ways, using a total range of 17-85 obtained by summing the scores, with customary cutoff of ‡ 50 used in many of the studies reviewed for this article. 7,21,31 Cutoff scores for probable PTSD diagnosis have been validated for some populations, with recent research highlighting the need to be attentive to whom the PCL is given, anticipating the prevalence rate in advance (i.e., by applying a gold standard to a small representative sample under study). For example, Terhakopian et al 37 reported that cutoff values of 44 had calculated weighted average sensitivity of 0.62 and specificity of 0.90, without overestimating the prevalence of PTSD in soldiers and marines returning from Iraq.…”

“…[18][19][20] Posttraumatic stress symptoms in these nurses were attributable to multiple causes; however, the most significant were danger to self and others, exhaustion and fatigue, and care of the dying and critically wounded. 21 Many similarities to the Vietnam nurse cohort have been noted in female HCPs serving in current conflicts, who also report similar responses and symptoms to exposures and experiences in theater and after return that are characteristic of other populations affected by traumatic experiences. 22,23 Besides gender and military role, there are other demographic variables and moderators of stress that have been found to impact outcomes in deployed service members.…”