Operating in a Tent

Abstract

Operating in a tent has many challenges. Operating with a team that moves its tent every few days to a new location has even more challenges. Everyone on the team needs to help with the manual labor of the move, even the surgeons. All team members should be familiar with the equipment and location of the equipment in order to avoid delays with the packing and unpacking. There are many different types of mobile operating teams and it is important for a team member to know exactly what his or her assets are, so they can know their capability. Patient transport and re-supply of materials is vitally important for a mobile to succeed. Operating in the field has its own set of challenges. The surroundings are dirty, the lighting is poor, the temperature cannot be controlled, the operating table cannot be tilted, and there can be security issues. Every member of the team should be fully engaged for the current operation and for the preparation of the subsequent ones. This teamwork will help with overcoming the uncertainty and the unexpected events that occur during combat, a terrorist attack, and during a natural disaster.