Evaluating Team Characteristics for Health Engagements in Three Countries in Central America: 2012-2017

Area of Science:

• Global Health Security
• International Health Engagement
• Military Medicine

Background:

• The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) conducts health engagement activities in partner nations.
• Effective health engagement requires optimal team composition, which is not well-established.
• This study analyzed medical mission activities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (2012-2017).

Purpose of the Study:

• To retrospectively describe and analyze medical mission activities.
• To evaluate mission activities in relation to ideal team characteristics.
• To inform the development of effective health engagement teams.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of DoD health engagement data (2012-2017).
• Utilized databases like Global-Theater Security Cooperation Management Information System and Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Shared Information System.
• Analyzed 565 mission activities, stratifying by country, mission type, team size, and skillset.

Main Results:

• Only 20.8% of missions had clearly documented objectives related to security cooperation, operational readiness, or health outcomes.
• Critical team elements like size, skillset, and language capability were rarely documented (23.4%, 17.1%, and 2.7% respectively).
• Team characteristics showed poor correlation with mission type or desired outcomes.

Conclusions:

• DoD health engagement missions in Central America revealed a broad spectrum of activities.
• Essential team characteristics for successful engagement were infrequently documented.
• Future efforts must focus on deliberate team composition for improved global health engagement outcomes.