The Necessity of Integrating Disaster Nursing and Prolonged Casualty Care Concepts into the Education and Training of Healthcare Professionals in Germany

Global crises such as pandemics, natural disasters, and armed conflicts have exposed the vulnerabilities of healthcare infrastructures and underscored the urgent need for improved preparedness in civilian disaster relief. The COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 floods in Germany, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza revealed severe shortages of personnel and resources, highlighting the necessity of equipping healthcare professionals with specialized competencies for patient care under constrained conditions.Disaster Nursing, internationally established in the United States and Asia-Pacific, provides structured approaches to crisis response through skills in emergency care, communication, and organizational management. However, training in Germany remains limited. Simultaneously, the military concept of Prolonged Casualty Care (PCC) offers critical methods for extended patient management when evacuation is delayed, including airway and bleeding control, infection prevention, wound care, and psychological support. Evidence shows that mortality increases significantly in prolonged care scenarios, emphasizing the need for systematic training.Integrating Disaster Nursing and PCC into the education and continuing professional development of nurses, physicians, and paramedics would strengthen resilience in civilian disaster relief. A modular, practice-oriented training framework would enhance crisis response capacity, foster psychological resilience, and ensure effective patient care despite resource limitations. Adapting healthcare training in this way is essential for building a sustainable and resilient healthcare system capable of functioning under extreme conditions.