Analysis of Dental Causalties in Prolonged Field Training Exercises

AbstractIntroductionDehydration can have an immediate negative impact on the performance of Soldiers in training or combat environments. Field expedient methods for assessing hydration status may be valuable for service members. Measurement of urine-specific gravity (USG) via refractometer is inexpensive, simple, fast, and a validated indicator of hydration status. Manual (MAN) and digital (DIG) refractometers are commonly used in laboratory settings however, digital (DIG) devices have not been validated in the field against MAN devices. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and feasibility of using a DIG refractometer to assess USG compared to a MAN refractometer during a military field training exercise.Materials and MethodsFifty-six military service members provided 672 urine samples during two 10-day field training exercises in central Texas. USG was assessed using a MAN and a DIG refractometer with cutoff value of ≥1.020 indicating hypohydration. The study received a non-human research determination.ResultsThe MAN measurements were strongly correlated with the DIG (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) measurements. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated agreement between the refractometers. The DIG displayed good sensitivity (93.9%) and specificity (85.8%) compared to the MAN.ConclusionThe DIG refractometer used in this study was reliable and valid compared with a MAN device and was feasible for use in a field environment; however, the DIG refractometer tended to over overestimate hypohydration.

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Analysis of Dental Casualties in Prolonged Field Training Exercises

Military Medicine ◽

10.1093/milmed/146.4.265 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 146 (4) ◽

pp. 265-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Thomas F. Payne ◽

William R. Posey

Keyword(s):

Field Training ◽

Training Exercises

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Analysis of vehicle use patterns during field training exercises to identify potential roads

Journal of Terramechanics ◽

10.1016/j.jterra.2004.10.008 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 42 (3-4) ◽

pp. 321-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Paul D. Ayers ◽

Alan B. Anderson ◽

Chunxia Wu

Keyword(s):

Field Training ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Training Exercises

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A Field Test of Two Methods for Assessing Infantry Situation Awareness

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120204600329 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 352-356

Author(s):

Michael D. Matthews ◽

Scott A. Beal

Keyword(s):

Virtual Environment ◽

Field Test ◽

Situation Awareness ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Cognitive Workload ◽

Military Academy ◽

Current Field ◽

Field Training ◽

Training Exercises

Two methods for assessing situation awareness (SA) were field tested during infantry exercises. Eight platoons of U.S. Military Academy cadets executed an infantry mission during summer field training exercises. A subjective SA measure, the Mission Awareness Rating Scale (MARS), was given to each platoon leader and one squad leader from each platoon to self-assess both SA and cognitive workload demanded by the tasks. In addition, infantry expert observers rated each platoon and squad leader using the Situation Awareness Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (SABARS). Both MARS and SABARS had been validated previously in missions conducted in a virtual environment. In the current field test, both instruments showed evidence of successfully measuring SA. Both instruments show promise for assessing SA in the field, or in other venues where more obtrusive measurement protocols are undesirable.

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