Optimizing Air Evacuation Teams: Determining the Safest and Smallest Configuration for Effective Military Patient Movement

This review of the literature addresses the following question: "What is the smallest and safest size for an air evacuation team that ensures effective patient care in military settings?"We conducted a literature review searching Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane for MeSH terms related to aeromedical evacuation. Thirty-five articles met criteria for data extraction and were identified as one of 4 mission types: critical care air evacuation, helicopter transport, strategic evacuation, and unanticipated mass casualty missions. Each mission type had a different team size and structure, length of mission, and skillset required. Despite the variability of articles in this literature review, the findings provide an understanding of how good team communication, adaptability, a solid knowledge of flight operations, and the presence of paramedical skills on teams interact to influence outcomes.