Continuum of care: Military health care providers and the traumatic brain injured service members

Abstract

This article will address and describe the military continuum of care and its implications for the health care providers intimately involved in the treatment of service members who sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Clinical Practice Guidelines have been created and distributed for treatment of TBI sustained by service members in both the deployed setting and in the continental United States (CONUS). The military has established specific levels of care each with specific purpose in the treatment continuum that extends from the battlefield to the most advanced military treatment facility (MTF). The health care providers who care for this particular patient population can also face unique opportunities, challenges and rewards.