Medical Ethics On The Battlefield Essay

Unlike a local emergency room or trauma center, where patients are seen periodically as they come in, military casualties are almost always taken en masse. At the lowest level of care prior to definitive evacuation, casualty numbers mirror that of a sine wave in that there are high influxes of casualties over a short duration of time, then periods of down time with no casualties or treatment requirements. Because casualties are triaged, stabilized, and evacuated to higher levels of care as expeditiously as possible, only low priority casualties may remain at a Role 1 location while waiting for available evacuation assets. Although the medics, physician assistants, and physicians located on the battlefield may have the available supplies, resources,

In his textbook chapter, Medical Ethics on the Battlefield: The Crucible of Military Medical Ethics, Dr. (Colonel, Retired) Thomas Beam describes three unofficial types of triage used by the military depending on the scenario. The first, he describes, is that utilized in a non-austere environment, which is similar to that seen in a civilian trauma center. Patients are assessed and given a priority based on the severity of their injuries. The most severely injured are treated first and even those with expected fatal injuries are given some level of care. The second scenario is that used in austere conditions where the medical facility is beginning to become overwhelmed. Because of the conditions, and in an attempt to save as many lives as possible, those most likely to benefit from treatment are treated first. Those patients who are alive but sustained fatal injuries or injuries that require significant manpower or resources to treat are overlooked. In this setting, the triage model “fits a utilitarian analysis in that the good of the whole is being maximized, but at the expense of individuals.” Lastly, in the most exigent of circumstances, the extreme conditions model of triage treats those most likely to return to duty most expeditiously. Although rarely implemented, this model is utilized in a scenario where combat power is diminished because of the