[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 51 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE BATTLEFIELD EXCELLENCE THROUGH SUPERIOR TRAINING (BEST) PRACTICES 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 8, 2011

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I recently reintroduced H.R. 1417, the 
Battlefield Excellence Through Superior Training Practices Act, or BEST 
Practices Act. This purpose of this bill is protect our troops and our 
missions overseas by improving combat trauma training courses 
administered by the Department of Defense (DoD). Currently, the DoD 
commonly employs the use of ``live tissue,'' or anesthetized animals, 
for the training of medics, corpsmen, and an increasing number of non-
medical military personnel. This training is suboptimal due to the vast 
anatomical differences between the animals involved and humans. The 
BEST Practices Act requires the DoD to phase in the use of human-based 
methods, such as medical simulation, as a replacement for live tissue 
training.
  It is clear that the DoD is behind the times on this issue. The same 
procedures taught in combat trauma training courses are taught in the 
civilian sector almost exclusively without live tissue training. 
Instead, these trauma centers and medical schools employ superior 
human-based methods such as high-fidelity medical simulation to teach 
our top surgeons and other physicians these crucial, life-saving 
procedures. Studies from civilian hospitals and medical schools 
demonstrate that simulation is a superior methodology and that 
physicians who train on simulators make fewer medical errors than those 
who train on live tissue. Furthermore, institutions that have 
transitioned to human-based methods have reported a long-term cost 
savings.
  The BEST Practices Act requires the Department of Defense to phase 
out live tissue training by 2016, which adheres to the agency's own 
projections regarding available simulation technology. The length of 
this timeline is crucial--we must ensure that our troops receive the 
best training possible, but we must not endanger our troops by rushing 
the transition. That's why this legislation contains a clause requiring 
an annual report from DoD to Congress on the progress of the 
transition.
  Please join me in supporting the BEST Practices Act--to ensure our 
military uses the best and most modern training methods available and 
that our troops are kept safe and able to succeed in their mission and 
in their lives.

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