Global Health Engagement Missions: Lessons Learned Aboard US Naval Hospital Ships

Military Medical Personnel assigned to United States Hospital Naval Ships have played a key role in global health engagement missions. As a result, a vast amount of clinical & deployment knowledge exists among military healthcare providers who have participated in previous global health engagement missions. However, effective knowledge transfer & dissemination of meaningful clinical, leadership, & deployment related lessons learned among military healthcare personnel has remained challenging. This study will gather first person accounts of experiential learning by military nurses, physicians, & corpsmen who have participated in global health engagement missions aboard US Naval hospital ships. Specific Aims: 1) Capture experiential learning regarding clinical care provided during global health engagement missions among military health care personnel who have participated in these missions. 2) Provide narratives of global health engagement missions from the perspective of humanitarian and military health care providers to assist in the design and teaching of clinical competencies for future global health engagement missions.

Design: Qualitative ethnographic methodology.

Sample & Method: Narrative interviews will be conducted on personnel (n=180-270 total; 60-90 nurses; 60-90 physicians; 60-90 corpsmen) who participate in Pacific Partnership 2015 & Continuing Promise 2015.

Analysis: A systematic approach to examine data will occur in a series of planned steps consistent with qualitative analysis methods: 1) interview transcripts will be reviewed, 2) codes will be defined and identified, 3) major themes across interviews will be identified, 4) themes will be organized into categories, 5) research team will interpret, gain insights, and search for meaning within participant narratives.

Findings & Implications: The knowledge gained during this study will expand the understanding of care provided during global health engagement missions and promote informed competent care for future military nurses, physicians, corpsmen, and leaders of these missions to function optimally on future global health engagement missions.

This multisite study with military nurses address two TSNRP priorities: 1) Military Nursing Competencies & Practice by examining clinical, leadership, & deployment knowledge gained during global health engagement missions aboard US Naval hospital ships, and 2) Leadership, ethics, and mentoring by providing leaders with an accurate understanding of mission essential knowledge for future global health engagement missions.