Much has changed in medical care since I started my medical career as an intern at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in 1989. Over the years we have seen a major shift of emphasis in combat medicine from the hospital to the point of wounding on the battlefield.
This shift in care, that focuses on the front-line soldier, sailor, and airman providing lifesaving treatment at the point of injury has resulted in the highest survival rates in military history. The paradigm know as Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) has become the standard for all US and many foreign militaries. The lessons learned from TCCC has also been translated to the civilian environment through the committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) along with programs such as Stop the Bleed. The concepts of providing lifesaving interventions at the point of injury has also been incorporated into the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Model Uniform Core Criteria (MUCC) for Mass Casualty Triage.
citizenAID™ has been developed by looking through the lens of how we can improve the outcomes of civilian populations when confronted with mass casualty events. The citizenAID Program was developed using best practices and the best evidence (TCCC, TECC, MUCC, Stop the Bleed). The citizenAID™ training and free App are developed to provide the public the basic skills to not only survive an event but also the skills to assist and treat the injured. We hope that this training is widely distributed and that our citizens can save lives and be prepared, not scared!
Dr R Schwartz
Medical Director