Injury Prevention as a Combat Multiplier
Abstract
It is no secret that health care costs in the United States are sky rocketing. Over 97% of those costs focus on the "restorative" aspect of health care as opposed to the 3% spent on preventative measures. The Army mirrors society and therefore, the same statistics are applicable to the Army's health care dilemma. According to Keith Hauret, a leading epidemiologist for the Army's injury prevention program, overuse injuries across the military account for more than 8 million days of limited duty a year. With recruiting efforts falling short, the Army can ill-afford to have a significant portion of its members incapable of performing their duties due to injuries. Controlling injuries is a high priority across the Department of Defense (DoD) as evidenced by the emphasis on prevention in the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review, the DoD Directive 6200.4 (Force Health Protection) and the DoD Force Health Protection Capstone Document. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of a comprehensive injury prevention program that studies potential recruits and their risk for injury, analyzes current injury rates, examines existing training programs and recommends system-wide changes to mitigate the impact of these injuries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 24, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA479579
Entities
People
- Nikki L. Butler
Organizations
- United States Army War College