RESUMEN
PURPOSE: We review the role of military mental health professionals in consulting with inpatient medical patients and staff at a combat hospital and aeromedical evacuation staging facility in Iraq. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral health consultation with medical and surgical patients during hospitalization and prior to aeromedical evacuation can help identify patients with combat stress exposure that may require future mental health follow-up. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Extensive use of civilian mental health practitioners including nurse psychotherapists and psychiatric nurse practitioners will be needed to provide psychiatric care for the large number of U.S. veterans who return from deployment with combat stress related disorders.
Asunto(s)
Trastornos de Combate , Enfermería Militar/organización & administración , Personal Militar , Grupo de Atención al Paciente/organización & administración , Enfermería Psiquiátrica/organización & administración , Adulto , Trastornos de Combate/diagnóstico , Trastornos de Combate/psicología , Trastornos de Combate/terapia , Femenino , Hospitales Militares , Humanos , Guerra de Irak 2003-2011 , Masculino , Tamizaje Masivo , Enfermería Militar/educación , Personal Militar/psicología , Psiquiatría Militar/organización & administración , Modelos Organizacionales , Rol de la Enfermera , Evaluación en Enfermería , Enfermería Psiquiátrica/educación , Psicología Clínica/organización & administración , Derivación y Consulta/organización & administración , Asistencia Social en Psiquiatría/organización & administración , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/diagnóstico , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/psicología , Trastornos por Estrés Postraumático/terapia , Transporte de Pacientes , Triaje , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
TOPIC: Exposure to combat-related trauma is a leading cause of posttraumatic stress disorder. Deployed military mental health practitioners serve important roles in the assessment, diagnosis, and aeromedical evacuation of psychiatric patients from the combat zone. PURPOSE: To review the role of military mental health professionals working with psychiatric patients at a combat hospital and aeromedical staging facility in Iraq. SOURCE OF INFORMATION: Military operating instructions, existing theoretical and research literature, and personal experiences of the authors while deployed to Iraq. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric screening can help reduce risk in potentially unstable mental health patients prior to aeromedical evacuation. Civilian nurse psychotherapists and advanced practice psychiatric nurses will be needed to provide psychiatric follow-up care for the large number of military veterans returning from combat.