The Patient Flow of Wounded Marines Within a Multi-Echelon System of Care.
Abstract
Allocation of appropriate resources for military medical treatment facilities requires accurate estimates of the number and types of patients that will be seen. During a combat operation, wounded personnel are typically treated and returned to duty or moved rearward for further treatment at higher levels of care. Consequently, forecasting medical resources entails projecting not only the number of personnel that will be injured, but also the flow of patients to intermediate care facilities and to hospitals located in the continental United States. Thus, accurate estimates of both the casualty rate and the percentage of hospitalized patients requiring subsequent movement to facilities offering advanced levels of care will allow planners to determine the most appropriate placement of medical assets to best meet operational demands. 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 wordS) Hospitalization data were extracted for Marines wounded in Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 to examine the echelon flow of treatment care for different types of injuries. The inter-echelon movement of each patient who was seen at an Echelon II or ffi facility was tracked until the treatment was completed or until the patient was moved to a continental U.S. facility. Results showed that approximately half of the admissions to Echelon II or iii had no further treatrnent recorded at a higher echelon of care. Almost one fourth of the patients required treatment at an Echelon W facility, while more than one third were seen at an Echelon V facility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA349237
Entities
People
- C. G. Blood
- Gregory J. Walker
Organizations
- Naval Health Research Center