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Combat Medicine

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Report
Limb Salvage and Recovery After Severe Blast Injury
Although there is a vast literature on limb salvage, there is limited research on military blast-related limb salvage. What can be learned from the evidence and innovations about restoration and reconstruction after limb salvage for severe blast-related limb injury?
Jul 6, 2020
Report
How to Protect the Joint Blood Supply Chain
Ensuring that blood remains available and safe for the Joint military community requires sophisticated logistical support and a dependable supply chain. Some future operating environments could present challenges to the blood supply chain. What can be done to make it more resilient?
Sep 25, 2018

Explore Combat Medicine

Report
Reforming Military Health Care Costs: Issues for Future Research
The authors of this report describe emerging topics related to military health care costs and policy to provide policymakers and researchers with future research to pursue.
Mar 13, 2023
Report
Lessons from COVID-19 Infections on U.S. Navy Ships
The U.S. Navy's handling of the early COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt revealed some cracks in the service's readiness to respond to major medical events. The relative lack of severe consequences in this instance should not prevent the Navy from reviewing those shortfalls and their implications for readiness.
Sep 21, 2021
Research Brief
The Future of Combat Casualty Care: Is the Military Health System Ready?
The Military Health System will need to implement a portfolio of mitigation strategies to ensure an agile, resilient, and global network of capabilities and a robust industrial supply base to effectively treat combat casualties in future conflicts.
Jul 26, 2021
Report
Preparing for the Future of Combat Casualty Care: Opportunities to Refine the Military Health System's Alignment with the National Defense Strategy
The Military Health System needs an agile, resilient, and global network of treatment and storage facilities and transportation assets, as well as knowledge of gaps and risks that could hinder effective medical support for future combat operations.
Jul 26, 2021
Report
Mitigating the Effects of Blast-Related Burn Injuries from Prolonged Field Care to Rehabilitation and Resilience: Proceedings and Expert Findings from a U.S. Department of Defense International State-of-the-Science Meeting
Blast-related burns, which accounted for most burns suffered by service members in the recent conflict in Afghanistan, are difficult to treat. These conference proceedings describe a meeting held at RAND to identify gaps in blast-injury research.
Dec 23, 2020
Report
The Effect of Blast-Related Burn Injuries from Prolonged Field Care to Rehabilitation and Resilience: A Review of the Scientific Literature
Researchers reviewed literature about blast-related burn injury, which is common among service members and is associated with infection, disability, military discharge, and mortality. Further research is needed on burn prevention and field care.
Sep 21, 2020
Report
Limb Salvage and Recovery After Blast-Related Injury: Proceedings and Expert Findings from a U.S. Department of Defense International State-of-the-Science Meeting
These conference proceedings summarize findings and recommendations of an expert-led meeting that addressed questions about when to emphasize limb salvage over other treatment options -- such as amputation -- for individuals with blast-related injuries.
Jun 11, 2020
Dissertation
Improving the Air Force Medical Service's Expeditionary Medical Support System: A Simulation Approach: Analysis of Mass-Casualty Combat and Disaster Relief Scenarios
Uses a simulation tool to analyze the Air Force's Expeditionary Medical Support System to see how it performs, what changes can be made, and the specific impacts on overall patient outcomes for different patient streams.
Jun 3, 2020
Periodical
RAND Review: May-June 2020
Feature stories explore how military and local governments can work together to prepare their communities for climate change, and the unmet needs of civilians who return from war zones and other hot spots throughout the world.
May 22, 2020
Report
Options for Maintaining Clinical Proficiency During Peacetime
The U.S. Army Medical Department has a dual mission: to care for the war wounded during times of conflict and to operate medical treatment facilities that provide care to service members, their beneficiaries, and military retirees. What options exist for improving the readiness of Army medical personnel?
May 19, 2020
Report
Neurological Effects of Repeated Exposure to Military Occupational Levels of Blast: A Review of Scientific Literature
There is increasing concern over the common, repetitive forms of blast to which military members are exposed during service, and how those exposures could affect the central nervous system. The authors of this report review the relevant literature.
Mar 18, 2020
Report
Optimizing Army Medical Materiel Strategy
This report describes how the U.S. Army can optimize its medical materiel strategies for efficient medical equipping readiness.
Oct 30, 2019
Report
Personnel Recovery in the AFRICOM Area of Responsibility: Cost-Effective Options for Improvement
This report identifies the most cost-effective options for improving medical rescue capabilities in U.S. Africa Command's area of responsibility.
Aug 27, 2019
Commentary
Lives on the Line: The A2AD Challenge to Combat Casualty Care
Countries such as Russia and China continue to develop and expand the ability to integrate long-range strike, anti-ship, anti-air, space and cyber abilities. Provision of medical support could be a worthy priority for NATO planners when considering deterrence of and defense against near-peer or peer adversaries.
Jul 31, 2018
Commentary
The Lack of Clarity Over Medical Support for Light Footprint Operations and How It Could Be Solved
Early identification and planning for medical support for EU-led military operations are vital to saving lives, treating injuries and keeping personnel healthy. Common standards would ensure high-quality and consistent medical support regardless of which country is providing it.
Sep 19, 2017
Report
Medical Support to Light Footprint Operations: Why smaller operations require a different approach to medical support
Traditional military medical support is designed for larger formations and draws on a heavier supporting infrastructure. Recent EU operations have a smaller number of personnel, shorter duration and seek to have a lighter infrastructure footprint.
Jun 9, 2017
Report
Timelines for Reaching Injured Personnel in Africa
This report studies the military medical literature and recent historical cases to explore the relationships between rescuability and time during medical evacuations and other personnel recovery missions.
Nov 17, 2016
Report
Developing Navy Capability to Recover Forces in Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazard Environments
How do you recover and decontaminate amphibious forces if they are attacked with chemical, biological, or radiological weapons while ashore?
Jan 28, 2014

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RAND Topic:
Combat Medicine

Topic Synonyms:
Military Medicine

Researcher Spotlight

Mary Avriette

Assistant Policy Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School

M. Avriette is a Ph.D. student in the Research, Analysis, and Design stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. She is an active-duty veterinarian in the U.S. Army. Her research interests include national security, developing-nation economics, zoonoses…
Beth Grill

Senior Policy Researcher

Beth Grill is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation specializing in national security policy. Her research focuses on security cooperation, partner nation assessment, special operations, global health engagement, and strategic planning. She has led a series of key research studies…

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