Military Hygiene and Hygiene in Emergency Situations - K.O. Pashka 2005

Occupational hygiene of military personnel during the mitigation of emergency consequences and in wartime
Hygienic features of the work of military unit medical personnel and military medical establishment staff during the mitigation of emergency consequences and in wartime

The main Factors influencing the provision of medical care in emergency areas may include the following:

- the scale of the emergency area(s);

- the magnitude, nature, Structure, and often the short duration of the period during which significant casualties occur;

- the mismatch between the required and available medical forces and resources;

- the disruption of established operational rhythms (altered operating modes) of medical units in military formations and military-medical facilities (institutions);

- The complexity of commanding forces and resources in emergency settings;

- the shortage of time for the HEAD of the medical service (military-medical facility) to make decisions and communicate them to subordinates;

- the necessity for unit (formation) personnel and medical staff to use personal Skin and respiratory protection equipment during rescue operations in contamination zones involving toxic agents, radioactive substances, and biological agents;

- the necessity of conducting partial or full sanitation of casualties and medical personnel who provided them with care, as well as special Processing of medical transport operated in the contamination zone, depending on the medico-tactical CHARACTERISTICS OF THE impact sites;

- the frequent lack of adequate living and utility conditions, especially during the initial period after arrival in the emergency area, for relief workers, including medical personnel.

Each of these factors determines, to a certain extent, the hygienic Specifics of the work performed by military medical personnel and military-medical facility staff during disaster relief operations.

Thus, most of the aforementioned factors will demand the utmost physical and mental endurance from medical workers. Almost always, when A large number of casualties occur, the personnel of military medical units and medical facilities will have to work 16-18 hours a day, leaving the remaining time for rest, meals, and other needs. Combined with a real threat to personal safety, such conditions will cause extreme physical and psychological strain, rapidly leading to severe fatigue among medical workers. Consequently, they will require not only prolonged routine rest, but frequently psychological support and pharmacological health correction as well.

An insufficient medical force will impose an additional workload on those capable of executing necessary medical care Procedures and sanitary-hygienic and anti-epidemic measures. The influx of a significant number of casualties may overload medical units and facilities well beyond their calculated operational standards, thereby necessitating enhanced sanitary-hygienic and anti-epidemic measures to prevent nosocomial infections. When a medical facility transitions to a strict anti-epidemic operating mode, medical staff must work in specialized respiratory and skin protection gear and administer emergency prophylaxis (non-specific before pathogen identification, and specific afterwards) to both incoming patients and wounded personnel, as well as to the medical staff themselves.

In the event of toxic or radioactive contamination zones within emergency areas, military medical personnel are also forced to operate within them wearing skin and respiratory protection, which induces severe physiological strain. For instance, during the warm season, this rapidly leads to overheating, elevated Heart and Respiration rates, and a shortened working time within the contamination zone. It also affects the quality and speed of medical care, consequently reducing the number of casualties who can be treated within that timeframe compared to working in standard uniforms. To preserve work capacity and often life itself, medical workers across all echelons must periodically withdraw to clean areas for rest and recovery. To ensure uninterrupted medical care, multiple shifts must be established to work rotationally in the contamination zones. Accordingly, this creates a need for increased personnel strength to meet the optimal timeframes established for each type of medical care.

Furthermore, additional personnel must be engaged to carry out special processing procedures for casualties, medical staff, and medical equipment alike.

The work capacity of medical service personnel is also affected by living, dietary, and rest conditions (or the lack thereof). In an emergency zone, particularly During the first days after arrival, providing adequate living and utility conditions to maintain personal and public hygiene is frequently very difficult. Along with exhausting work in providing care to casualties, this leads to increased fatigue and rapid exhaustion among medical workers, while also contributing to the onset of illnesses or the Exacerbation of chronic conditions.