Military Aeromedical Evacuation Nursing

Abstract

The backbone of military aeromedical evacuation (AE) is provided by highly trained flight nurses (FNs) and aeromedical evacuation technicians (AETs). Between 2001 and 2014, 127,433 individual patients were transported on 81,869 flights. Most of these patients receive en route care from an AE crew consisting of two FNs and three AETs, with less than 5% of patients cared for by specialty teams: Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT), Burn Team, etc. These AE patients have a diversity of diagnoses, ranging from trauma to mental health issues. There is a growing body of science informing AE nursing, leading to the refinement of care related to systematic preflight patient preparation and handoffs, and the identification of patients at increased risk for en route adverse events. The epidemiology of patients transported in AE, the ongoing education and training requirements for FNs and AETs, and mission preparation and handoff strategies are presented. The chapter also addresses the modification of en route nursing care related to the stresses of flight (e.g., hypobaria, hypoxia, humidity, noise, etc.) and unique evidence-based aspects of en route care, including the transport of patients with acute coronary syndrome, pain management, pressure injury prevention, mitigation of risk for venous thromboembolism, mental health considerations, cardiac arrest response, and patient and crew safety.