Availability, Accessibility, and Adequacy of Health Care Provided to USAF ActiveDuty Women in Theater During Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm

摘要

Female participation in military deployments and operations has increasedsignificantly over the past decade. With the reduction in gender-specific barriers and the downsizing of military forces, this trend will continue. Both the number of women participants in military operations and the number of occupational specialties represented have increased. Consequently, preventive medicine interventions (vaccines, antimalarials, etc.) previously administered to all male combat forces need to be assessed for both genders. For example, the use of doxycycline for antimalarial prophylaxis reportedly increased the incidence of vaginal yeast infections experienced in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm (ODS/S). Additionally, the capabilities of medical facilities and personnel on site may need to be reevaluated. Changes in military medical planning doctrine should be based on problems identified by both after-action reports and information obtained from individuals directly participating in the operations. This study was designed as a survey to assess the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of health care provided to USAF active duty women in theater during ODS/S. The survey questionnaire was developed to answer the following research questions: 1. What were the gender-unique health problems experienced by female ODS/S participants. 2. What were the modifiable causes of gender-unique health problems identified in female ODS/S participants. 3. What treatment (or nontreatment) was provided for female ODS/S participants' health problems. 4. What perceptions do female ODS/S participants have of the accessibility and adequacy of health care received in theater during ODS/S.