Adaptability of Medical Surge Preparedness Practices to Large-Scale Combat Operations

Since its inception, the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) has been activated in the context of acute-onset and time-limited disasters; however, its original intended purpose was for providing care for casualties from a large-scale combat operation (LSCO). Consequently, determining the utility of specific medical surge practices for an LSCO is necessary to optimally prepare the NDMS for such an event. Lessons learned from prior medical surge events can inform LSCO preparations despite the contextual differences between the 2 scenarios. This case study builds on earlier analyses by the US Department of Defense's NDMS Pilot program to develop a set of evidence-based leading practices for improving medical surge response that can be used by healthcare facilities providing acute care during LSCO-related patient surges.