TASK FORCE III DESERT SHIELD/STORM

File: aaacf_60.txt
Page: 60
Total Pages: 273
changes of the system, as were made in October and again in November, were 
perhaps inevitable. These changes did not take place without some confusion and 
misreporting. For example, three MTFs did not receive the October message and 
continued to report "miscellaneous medical conditions" under the code that had 
been changed (by the October message) to "sexually transmitted diseases" (STD). 
The resulting high STD rate was not only surprising, it was inaccurate. 
 
	3. The USCENTAF reporting system didn't include case definitions. This 
caused some confusion and perhaps some reporting inconsistencies and data 
inaccuracies. For example, sunburn may have been reported as a dermatological 
condition rather than a heat injury. 
 
	4. Communication between MTFs and USCENTAF was by message and telephone. 
Messages were not always received. This was in part because until an AIG was 
created for all deployed MTFs, the location of each deployed MTF, including 
squadron medical elements, had to be known and listed individually on each 
message. In some cases SMEs redeployed and in others, the unit designation 
changed as wings grew and host units changed. Commercial and TAC telephone lines 
were set up and steadily improved, but were always completely overwhelmed by the 
volume of calls. 
 
	5. The-USCENTCOM report format caused some confusion, especially regarding 
its "special categories". For example, the data collector would have to count a 
diarrhea case three times; once as a "GI", once as a "SPEC CAT", as once as 
"diarrhea! disease". 
 
VII. RECOMMENDATIONS: 
 
	1. Define and publish a USAF DNBI reporting system for use by deployed 
MTFs. Compliment this system with computer software for MTFs and command use. 
This system should address the following issues: 
 
		a. Report communicable/environmental conditions only. Specifically, 
consider deletion of "medical illnesses" as a category. 
 
		b. Specify which category of patients should be reported (e.g. USAF 
only compared to USAF base populations or report cases of all services but 
indicate the service of each patient) 
 
		c. Include case definitions for each syndrome. 
 
		d. The report format should permit only one syndrome per line number 
to avoid confusion. There should be no double counting of cases.