Stresses of Flight during Aeromedical Transport: An Integrated Review

Abstract

The complexity of the aeromedical transport environment presents medical providers with a unique set of challenges. The majority of these challenges are caused by the impact of the stresses of flight on various injury and disease states. The stresses of flight include hypoxia, gravitational forces, barometric pressure changes, thermal changes, vibration, humidity, noise, and fatigue. Unfortunately, there is limited knowledge of the influence of the stresses of flight on patient care during aeromedical transport. This study aimed to investigate the current knowledge base related to the impact of the stresses of flight on injury and disease management during aeromedical transport to identify key areas for future research. A literature search of the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, and Defense Technical Information Center databases was conducted to identify existing studies published between 2003 and 2014 investigating the impact of the stresses of flight on injury and disease management during aeromedical transport. Whittemore and Knafls five-step process for integrative reviews was used to identify relevant articles. In total, 7141 unique titles were pulled from the four databases. After reviewing the unique titles for the relevance to injury and disease management during aeromedical transport, 1088 abstracts were reviewed. A total of 928 abstracts did not apply to the area of interest and 160 full text articles were reviewed. Of the 160 full text articles reviewed, 97 articles were considered relevant to this study. The relevant articles suggest the predominance of literature is on hypoxia and barometric pressure. There were few articles on the other stresses of flight. Through the investigation of the stresses of flight and their impact on injury and disease within the aeromedical transport domain, gaps evident in the available research were identified.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 05, 2018
Accession Number
AD1056007

Entities

People

  • Brittany Fouts
  • Darcy Mortimer

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Airway Management
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Brain Injuries
  • Cardiac Arrhythmias
  • Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Data Storage Systems
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Health Services
  • Lung Diseases
  • Pain
  • Patient Care
  • Spinal Injuries
  • Wounds And Injuries

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).