Wilderness medicine

Wilderness medicine
Synonymsexpedition medicine, austere medicine, remote medicine
SubdivisionsExpedition medicine

Military medicine

Diving medicine

Aviation medicine
Significant diseasesAltitude sickness

dysbarism envenomation heat related illnesses hypothermia

major trauma
Significant testsPoint of care; Ultrasound, blood tests
SpecialistWilderness Medicine Physician/Clinician

Wilderness medicine is a medical specialty concerned with medical care in remote, wilderness and expedition environments. The specialty includes prior planning, public health issues, a number of sub-specialties as well as responding to emergencies. One modern definition of wilderness medicine is "medical care delivered in those areas where fixed or transient geographic challenges reduce the availability of, or alter requirements for, medical or patient movement resources".[1][2][3]

This rapidly evolving field is of increasing importance as more people engage in outdoor activities, with more participants coming from the extremes of age, and with more people engaging in high risk activities.[4]

The exact aegis of wilderness medicine as a specialty is in constant flux to match the requirements of patients underlying wilderness or remote activities. While wilderness medicine is the preferred terminology for this medical speciality in the United States, terminology such as extreme medicine, remote medicine or expedition medicine, are used internationally.

Wilderness medicine overlaps with a number of other medical specialties in terms of knowledge base and scope of practice, these most notable include; Pre-hospital emergency medicine, Military medicine, Humanitarian aid, Disaster medicine and Public health. The future of extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine will be defined by both recipients and practitioners, and empirical observations will be transformed by evidence-based practice.[5]

Unlike wilderness first aid which is focussed on the provision of immediate care to the sick and injured in a wilderness setting, wilderness medicine has a far broader approach. These include but are not limited to:

  • Prolonged Field Care[6] / Prolonged Casualty Care / Austere Emergency Care[7][8]
  • Secondary care follow up in remote settings, such as expeditions or in humanitarian settings
  • The prevention of wilderness medical emergencies, illnesses and injuries
  • Public health interventions
  • Providing Critical care medicine in austere environments
  1. ^ Hawkins, SC (2018). Wilderness EMS. Wolters Kluwer. p. 21. ISBN 9781496349453.
  2. ^ Auerbach, PS (2017). Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine, 7e. Elsevier. p. 1200. ISBN 978-0323359429.
  3. ^ Cone, David (2021). "Wilderness EMS". Emergency Medical Services: Clinical Practice and Systems Oversight, 3e. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN 9781118865309.
  4. ^ "Wilderness Medicine Fellowship". Stanford University. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  5. ^ Imray, C. H.; Grocott, M. P.; Wilson, M. H.; Hughes, A.; Auerbach, P. S. (2015). "Extreme, expedition, and wilderness medicine". Lancet. 386 (10012): 2520–2525. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01165-4. PMID 26738718. S2CID 11441616.
  6. ^ O'Kelly, Aebhric; Mallinson, Tom (2023-09-02). "Prolonged field care (austere emergency care) principles in UK paramedic practice". Journal of Paramedic Practice. 15 (9): 359–366. doi:10.12968/jpar.2023.15.9.359. ISSN 1759-1376.
  7. ^ "Austere Emergency Care – CoROM". Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  8. ^ "AEC Courses". Specialized Medical Standards. Retrieved 2023-04-04.