War doesn’t often provide positive outcomes but health care experts believe we can adapt what’s learned on the battlefield into our hospitals.

Today marked the opening of the 19th annual Health Care Symposium in Brisbane, where experts shared their knowledge in battlefield health care.

Hannah Doody reports.

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TRANSCRIPT

This year’s symposium features almost 100 national and international speakers in the fields of medicine, nursing and allied health, addressing the theme “the front-line of health care”.

Australian Defence Force soldiers are using the event to improve their medical knowledge.

Paul Alexander, ADF Major General: “We have the opportunity now to train our individuals and to bring them into this facility so that they can get greater experience in those important areas.”

Highlights this year include sessions on trauma, burns and emergency care as well as medical education and training.

Experts believe that we can learn from the injuries suffered in the war in Afghanistan and use this experience to stimulate medical breakthroughs and improve the health care system here in Queensland.

Dr Steven Wolf, Texas University: “One of them is the use of decision support technology, which is really a way to export expertise in a way that people can understand and use well.”

Other breakthroughs are focused on accelerating the recovery process of war injuries.

Dr Steve Wolf, Texas University: “Another one I believe is going to be this notion of regenerative medicine and that yes you can regenerate it maybe.”

The symposium finishes on Friday.

Hannah Doody, QUT News.