Combat Medics' Preparedness to Serve as Behavioral Health Extenders in Forward Environments

Area of Science:

• Military medicine
• Behavioral health
• Combat readiness

Background:

• Combat medics face increasing demands for behavioral health (BH) management in forward environments.
• Medics historically received minimal BH training, impacting their preparedness for expanded roles.
• Understanding medic attitudes and behaviors regarding BH is crucial for enhancing support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess combat medics' engagement in BH tasks.
• To determine the extent to which medics consider BH tasks within their scope of practice.
• To evaluate medic confidence levels in performing various BH-related tasks.

Main Methods:

• Survey data collected from 292 medics prior to BH training.
• Investigated engagement, scope of practice perceptions, and confidence in BH tasks.
• Explored associations with demographics, BH experience, and prior training.

Main Results:

• Over 60% of medics discussed BH issues; nearly 42% provided interventions.
• Medics viewed assessment tasks more within scope (75%-95%) than interventions (62%-83%).
• Confidence was higher for assessments (39%-49%) than interventions (31%-37%), especially suicide risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• Medics perceive BH tasks as within their scope but lack confidence in execution.
• Findings highlight a critical need for enhanced BH training for combat medics.
• Further training and work rotations can improve medic proficiency and reduce burden on BH clinics.