A Systematic Literature Review of the Determinants of a Good National Civil-Military Partnership for Rapid Management and Response of Health Emergencies: Lessons for Africa

Background/Introduction:

Civil-military collaboration in response to an epidemic or health crisis could strengthen countries’ capacities to provide adequate medical care and limit casualties. Many countries have received the support of military medical services during an emergency,1 guided by their multi-disciplinary human resources, with a strong background in rapid deployment, logistics and trauma management, and the civilian teams with a good capacity in epidemic management.1,2

Objectives:

This study analyzes the determinants of a good civil-military partnership for rapid management of health emergencies on the African continent.

Method/Description:

We conducted a systematic review of literature from published (PUBMED, Hinari, and Google Scholar) and grey databases guided by the PRISMA guideline.

Results/Outcomes:

A good collaboration requires a formal agreement with a defined institutional anchor structure between the two institutions.1,3 The coordination should remain flexible with the co-leadership of each institution.1,3,4 The roles of all participating teams should be defined at the onset,1-5 and plans instituted based on the type of emergency to enhance cooperation. Both civilian and military teams need to know and understand the approved management protocols. Military health services are better experienced in trauma management, while civilians are more equipped to manage epidemics.1,4 Besides, there is a need for periodic evaluation of patient outcomes, resource management, challenges, and lessons learned after the response.

Conclusion:

Civil-military teams jointly responding to emergencies can be challenging but should be built around four defined pillars: collaboration, coordination, capacity building, and evaluation to capitalize on the teams’ strengths.