What is the purpose of maintaining a field medical record?

The purpose of maintaining a field medical record centers on the comprehensive documentation of patient assessments, treatments, and medical history in the field. This record serves several critical functions in a combat or emergency medical environment. Firstly, it provides vital information that helps ensure continuity of care. When a patient is transferred to a higher level of medical care, accurate records allow receiving medical personnel to understand the patient's condition, the treatment that has already been administered, and any relevant medical history.

Moreover, thorough documentation is essential for legal and reporting purposes. It not only protects the medic and the organization from potential liability but also contributes to the overall learning and improvement of medical practices within the field. By keeping an accurate field medical record, medics can identify trends, evaluate the effectiveness of treatments, and make data-driven decisions for future medical operations.

The other options focus on tracking specific aspects of medical care but do not capture the comprehensive purpose of field medical documentation. While tracking the time for treatments and medications on site can be relevant in limited contexts, they do not encompass the broader necessities of patient safety, continuity, and legal documentation that a field medical record provides.