The flow of medical care from point of injury through to a CONUS-based facility is described by which principle?

• A. Mobility
• B. Continuity
• C. Proximity
• D. Conformity

Answer: (B)

Continuity of care is the principle described. It captures the idea of a seamless, coordinated medical flow from the point of injury through evacuation to a CONUS-based facility, with ongoing assessment, treatment, documentation, and handoffs maintained across every step. This ensures the patient doesn’t experience gaps as care transitions from field care to evacuation and into definitive care back home. Critical elements include preserving medical records and treatment plans, ensuring timely transfers, and having the receiving clinicians ready to continue where the previous clinicians left off.

Mobility centers on moving patients or assets efficiently, not on preserving coordination and information across care settings. Proximity concerns how geographically close facilities are, not the process of care transition. Conformity deals with standardization of practices, not the flow of care through multiple settings.