Aligning Air Force Ground Surgical Team (GST) Training With the Deployment Experience

Area of Science:

• Military medicine
• Surgical training
• Austere care

Background:

• The Air Force Ground Surgical Team (GST) Phase 1 course provides pre-deployment training for austere surgical care.
• Current course improvements rely on anecdotal evidence and expert opinion.
• A need exists to understand clinical and operational activities during GST deployments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey surgeons who completed GST Phase 1 training.
• To gain a better understanding of clinical and operational activities during GST deployments.
• To identify areas for improvement in the GST Phase 1 training course.

Main Methods:

• A survey was sent to surgeons who completed the GST Phase 1 course between April 2017 and September 2020.
• 31 surgeons responded to the survey, with 22 having deployed.
• Data collected included deployment details, surgical care provided, and logistical challenges.

Main Results:

• 22 surgeons deployed; 68% served on standalone GST platforms.
• Surgeons at larger facilities performed more surgeries (median 7 vs. 2).
• Challenges included long holding times, simultaneous patient care, and resupply delays.

Conclusions:

• The GST Phase 1 course is crucial for preparing surgeons for austere military environments.
• Enhancements should include deployment-specific topics, documentation education, and nontechnical skills training.
• Optimizing GST context-specific behaviors will strengthen course effectiveness for deployment preparation.