A new paradigm for military humanitarian medical operations: Mission-generic metrics

Abstract

Objective: We report the history of military humanitarian medical operations, define the current science of process and outcome evaluation, and propose a set of generic metrics for monitoring and evaluation in military humanitarian operations. Methods: We comprehensively reviewed the unclassified literature and used our own experiences in military humanitarian activities. Results: Our literature review shows that efforts to evaluate the relative quality or cost effectiveness of military humanitarian missions have been largely unsuccessful. In response to this finding, the authors propose a monitoring and evaluation checklist system with generic metrics, which are broadly applicable but also can be customized specifically for the user. Conclusions: Military humanitarian operations can provide substantial security value to their many different stakeholders. Refinement of our proposed mission-generic metrics list is one method to measure performance and relative quality. Better assessment of outcomes can clarify decisions about the utilization of limited military medical humanitarian funds and personnel. © Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. All rights reserved.