Background: Between conflicts, many of the combat casualty care lessons learned are lost as the nation shifts priorities and providers leave the military. Solutions are needed to bridge the knowledge gap created by interwar periods. One of the foremost solutions is partnerships between civilian trauma centers and the military health system. Over the past two decades, a myriad of military-civilian partnerships (MCPs), which vary in their composition, duration, and focus, was created. The objective of this report is to describe the initial attempt of the Department of Defense to catalog existing MCPs to inform both civilian and military stakeholders. This initial catalog is intended as a reference to aid in future MCP development and facilitate the synchronization of efforts to improve trauma care delivery and readiness.
Methods: Using methodology from the Institute of Defense Analysis, the total number of eligible trauma centers in the United States was determined. The Institute of Defense Analysis determined eligibility-based American College of Surgeons Trauma Center verification or state trauma center designation. Each military service provided their list of MCPs, which were categorized. Military-civilian partnerships were cataloged by various characteristics and program components. Key variables include number and type of personnel trained, duration of training, and focus, for example, team versus individual focused and training versus maintaining proficiency focused.
Results: A total of 1,139 hospitals in the United States are potentially eligible for MCPs. There are at least 87 unique partnerships; the majority are part-time sustainment MCPs. The Air Force has the largest number of providers in MCPs. There are many challenges to maintain accurate and up to date data on MCPs.
Conclusion: With the collated information, the Defense Health Agency, military services, special operations community, and civilian partners will be better empowered to optimize the readiness value of their programs and better prepare our military medical providers for the nation's and military's future needs.
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