Care of the critically ill patient in a military unique environment: a program of research.

Imagine you are caring for a critically ill patient. Now imagine that you are transporting that patient on a large military aircraft designed to carry cargo. It was 100F when you took off from the pick up location. Thirty minutes later the temperature in the cargo hold has dropped to 50F. The noise coming from the aircraft engines is so loud that you cannot hear your patient’s lung or heart sounds and you are forced to yell to be heard. The engine vibration distorts the signal to your portable monitor making it very difficult to interpret the ECG and blood pressure waveforms. Finally, the drop in barometric pressure is causing a decrease in your patient’s arterial oxygen saturation level. It is in this unique and challenging environment that Air Force nurses provide care (Fig. 1). The development of a research program that emphasizes the care environment described above is essential to understanding the unique aspects of Air Force nursing. This article describes the TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP), which is the only funding source specific to military nursing research. In addition, the Air Force Nursing program of research at Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC) in San Antonio, Texas, is discussed and examples of Air Force and military unique nursing research studies are provided.