Publications

Health surveillance had been previously discussed at a NATO Symposium in Budapest in 2004 (HFM-108; ISBN 92-837-1128-9). This symposium discussed the very significant advances which have occurred since that time as well as some topics in the expanding field of medical informatics. The challenges with the current core NATO deployment health surveillance system, EpiNATO-2, were discussed in detail. The current status of syndromic surveillance and the development of NATO’s planned Medical Information and Coordination System (MEDICS) were also examined. Presentations looked at the development of life course or longitudinal health surveillance of military members which allow integration of life time exposures into health outcome assessments. The history of the development, the progress, and benefits of trauma systems and registries were discussed at length. Gaps in health care information and communication systems such as in the pre-hospital setting in theatre were addressed both in terms of current status and future developments. New methods to assess the risks of environmental exposures in urban settings were examined and the use of medical informatics for predictive modelling, training, and clinical care were presented. Thirteen recommendations were made for further analysis, research, or evaluation. Follow-up HFM chartered technical activities (task groups, workshops, symposia) would be of benefit in a shorter time frame than in the past.