Capturing Medical Documentation on the Battlefield Frontline–A Macroergonomic Analysis

The frontline of military health care on the battlefield poses significant challenges to medical data collection, whether collected via paper or digitization. The mobility and tempo of the frontline and the physical needs of the patients significantly impact the combat medic's ability for timely, accurate, and thorough recording of patient encounter information. In the design of new integrated management information systems, basic data capture issues must not be ignored or minimized. If data is not captured, it will not be available within the information system, regardless of whether it is a paper-based or a digital system. This macroergonomic analysis evaluated the medical data generated at the frontline as well as current and proposed data capture procedures. Another key component was an evaluation of the healthcare providers at that level of care. The results were compiled into three key design strategies relevant for the next acquisition cycle of medical data capture devices.