Comparative study of military medical documentation systems in the USA, Australia, the UK and Iran

Documentation of the armed forces’ health information especially during the crises is essential to optimize health care delivery and management of wounded soldiers’ evacuating process. In this regard, developing the documentation systems in order to increase functionality, efficiency, and veterans’ satisfaction as well as the quality of the care is an undeniable necessity. In this research, a comparative study has been conducted on selected countries to provide recommendations for the improvement of Iran's military medical documentation systems. The present study was a descriptive-comparative study aimed to assess military medical documentation systems in selected countries using books, articles, journals, and electronic resources of information. Findings indicated that the USA, Australia and the UK, in contrast with Iran, have their own specific military inpatient and outpatient electronic health records, and they use classification, storage, retrieval, and transmission information systems in order to support the documentation of armed forces’ health data in times of disasters. Based on the obtained results, implementation of a military electronic health record which collects all the primary, secondary, dentistry, rehabilitation, and other healthcare data of our country’s armed forces from recruitment to retirement is necessary. Also as part of this record, electronic documentation of the armed forces’ health information in times of crises and in operational areas must be conducted.