NATO AJMEDP-8 PDF

The aim of this publication is to provide a doctrinal overview of operational military healthcare support as guidance for medical and also non-medical personnel. 

AJMedP-8 is a novel document aiming to build a bridge between the medical policy paper “NATO Principles and Policies of Medical Support” (MC 326/3) and the medical standardization agreements and publications (STANAG/AMedP). It complements the contents of AJP Med 1 to 7, providing a summary of a number of healthcare related STANAGS. As such it does not provide a comprehensive overview of the whole of military healthcare. This document does not supersede any established guidance in STANAGs and AMedPs. Specific topics and details should be consulted in the original standardization documents.

Health service support is provided, directly or indirectly, to contribute to the health and well-being of patients or a population. (AAP-06) Military Healthcare is a patient centric health service provision by military healthcare professionals for the defined populations at risk; it encompasses preventive health protection, prehospital emergency care, primary healthcare, hospital care and rehabilitative care. Military Healthcare is also capable to support the full range of military operations including humanitarian assistance. 

To enable healthcare support to NATO military operations and to support the NATO military medical planning process a clearly articulated principle is required. The purpose of the NATO standards is to offer guidance to physicians and other healthcare providers. Single nations will have their own standards of care and NATO standards are designed to promote standardization and interoperability for NATO operations.

The military healthcare standards referred to in AJPMed-8 are developed by subject matter experts and cover a range of clinical aspects such as surgical care, mental health conditions and post-exposure prophylaxis.

They are evidence-based and provide a common agreed platform, outlining standards for care and facilitating the development of healthcare protocols. They capture best practice and implement lessons learned in operational healthcare, thus contributing to optimal levels of interoperability. The subsequent chapters of this publication provide a summary of extant military healthcare standards in NATO. Extant standards are under regular review and new standard will be developed to further extend interoperability between nations.