ABSTRACT

The concept of military pre-hospital emergency care (PHEC) as an integrated system was developed as a response to the pressures of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The development of military PHEC between 2001 and 2014 coincided with the development of civilian PHEC in the United Kingdom. North American and European models of pre-hospital care began to diverge in the 1990s, with literature in the United States supporting the philosophy of 'scoop and run', whereas European systems tended more towards a 'stay and play' approach. The concept of using a medical team to provide combat casualty retrieval had never been written into doctrine, but the command chain recognised the requirement and supported 16 Close Support Medical Regiment in providing this capability. By 2012, Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) began working alongside US Air Force (USAF) Pedro parajumpers, as well as US Army Dustoff casualty evacuation helicopters.