Epidemiology of UK Military Exercise SAIF SAREEA 3: future planning for hot climates.

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological data captured from military exercises and operations can highlight treatment requirements specific to operating in certain environmental conditions. Such data is invaluable to enable accurate planning for future exercises. Epidemiological data were collected during Exercise SAIF SAREEA 3 (SS3) to provide an insight into medical provision requirements for low-tempo military operations in hot, desert climates. METHOD: Epidemiological data was collected from all consultations conducted during the exercise within the LAND Medical Reception Station, 24 August-14 November 2018, using Epi-NATO surveillance systems. RESULTS: Of the 1414 total consultations recorded, 759 were first presentations and 665 were follow-up consultations, with 35 referrals made to hospitals. 1348 days of limited duties were given and 258 working days were lost. The most common coding reported for consultations were 'non-battle non-sport related injuries', 'sport related injuries' and 'dermatological'. DISCUSSION: The data highlight the most common cause of injuries and the role of assets such as dental, sexual and mental health services for future deployments. A number of explanations are considered in relation to the patterns identified and the effect on future planning for working in hot climates. Furthermore, Exercise SS3 had reduced numbers of personnel requiring deployed Role 2 or host nation hospital services, which again raises further considerations for future deployments.

Medical data collection on UK Military Exercise Saif Sareea 3: the EpiNATO-2 surveillance system.

INTRODUCTION: Epidemiological data from military exercises are important to identify trends in medical presentations and treatment requirements to aid planning for future operations. UK Military exercises use the EpiNATO-2 surveillance system for this purpose, however it has some limitations in the spectrum of data it can collect. An enhanced reporting system titled EpiNATO-2 PLUS was developed and introduced in all LAND (Army) Role 1 Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs) as part of Exercise Saif Sareea 3 (SS3). It was assessed as part of a Quality Improvement Project for its utility in terms of spectrum and validity of data capture. METHOD: Epidemiological data were collected over a 2-month period from medical consultations in Camp Shafa during SS3 by EpiNATO-2 or EpiNATO-2 PLUS. This involved categorisation of symptoms into a coding system which represents a spectrum of clinical presentations, as well as collecting data on the effect of medical issues on personnel productivity. Halfway through the collection period, an EpiNATO-2 PLUS education session and Summary Guide were introduced. Data were audited for the period before and after these introductions. RESULTS: Of the 1163 consultations conducted in the 2-month period, the use of EpiNATO-2 PLUS captured an additional 169 patient contacts not collected by EpiNATO-2. The provision of a summary guide and teaching session decreased coding errors in the second audit period from 12.9% to 6.8% for EpiNATO-2 and from 19.4% to 6.6% for EpiNATO-2 PLUS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of EpiNATO-2 PLUS collected a broader spectrum of medical activity in the Role 1 MTF, by capturing an additional 10% of the clinical workload compared with EpiNATO-2. The increase in coding accuracy correlates with the introduction of the education session and EpiNATO-2 PLUS Summary Guide. It is recommended that EpiNATO-2 PLUS is used in future deployments.