You will be presented with the full text of a biomedical research paper. Please write an abstract for this paper. Your response should include the abstract and no additional text.

Paper text:
on such a full sea are we now afloat . and we must take the current when it serves , or lose our ventures . from armenia in 1987 to indonesia in 2004 , to new orleans in 2005 , and now to haiti in 2010 , we have embarked on a sobering journey in public health logistics .
new standards are now tested in real situations rather than in theory . even in an unforgiving environment
, the principles of the federal emergency management agency ( fema ) still apply to the the command structure , albeit in a modified form .
we learned the difficult lesson that trauma is not the major issue following a disaster .
the traditional influx of ad hoc rescue teams flooding into the area actually hinders progress , as it did after the 9/11 disaster in new york city .
safety provided support personnel and security of supply channels have always rivaled the good intentions of would - be rescue teams .
mass media commentary on disasters tends to soften the horror of the reality by reflecting a compassionate fantasy : the illusion that human altruism conquers all .
this media apparition also inadvertently reinforces the similar illusion that all assistance is effective assistance .
we share the experience of a well - intentioned medical group whose involvement puts the usual media coverage into a realistic perspective .
surgical and critical care teams may have awareness of unique supply and transportation issues but they have little oversight of on - site security , infrastructure , command , re - supply , or support systems .
a motivated , committed and well - equipped trauma team traveled to haiti several days after the earthquake for the purpose of medical assistance .
their destination was a designated hospital to establish comprehensive emergent surgical intervention for orthopedic injuries .
the multidisciplinary team of surgeons and support personnel departed with an extensive medication list and comprehensive equipment , including a functioning portable operating room and postoperative recovery area ( d lorich , personal communication ) .
they planned to quickly replenish expended equipment by private jet through their corporate connections . on arrival
, the team found that the expected ground support from partners in health was nonexistent .
their backup option was the community hospital of haiti , which turned out to be more functional but overloaded with patients .
anesthesia machines were nonfunctional ; other needed materials were in short supply or inadequate for their needs , and there was only a ragtag group of voluntary health providers who had made it there on their own .
they had established the first functional acute care hospital in the disaster area , yet no one arrived to assess and coordinate the activities .
the military could not or would not protect the resupply of equipment or protect from pilfering .
there was no security for the team , despite promises to provide it from the new york city police department and the fire department , city of new york .
procedures were begun on a hit or miss basis , quickly generating a need for replenished supplies .
the re - supply plane landed and its supplies were hijacked somewhere between the airport and reaching the team . having completed more than 100 procedures over several days , the team was exhausted and disillusioned . on the morning of the team 's proposed departure , a huge influx of new patients forced a lockdown of the facility , closing its gates to the outside , resulting in the crowd becoming angry and hostile .
that same morning , the team noted that many of their operative patients were looking septic and there was no demonstrable medical follow - up available .
ultimately , the team decided to make their way to the port ' a prince airport through the assistance of a private hospital benefactor .
armed jamaican soldiers were necessary to escort the team past the hostile crowd surrounding the hospital .
on making their way back to the airport in the back of a pickup track , the team hailed a commercial plane carrying cargo to montreal and had a private jet pick them up there .
in retrospect , the team 's assessment of the situation is as follows . the amount of human devastation was impossible to comprehend before arrival .
the lack of a medical infrastructure and support from haitian physicians was underestimated and underassessed .
finally , there was a lack of organization on the ground and a lack of any security at all at the hospital .
the problems illustrated by this team 's experience are encapsulated by michael debakey 's famous comment : ' all the circumstances of war surgery thus do violence to civilian concepts of traumatic surgery ' - a statement that remains as true today as it did in 1942 when he developed the first mobile army surgical hospitals .
the ultimate solutions to these problems are more subtle , requiring a long - term commitment on the part of both individuals and organizations to partner with experienced charitable nongovernmental organizations around the globe . these partnerships will provide the teaching , training and , ultimately , the technology for disaster areas to become more reliant on their own resources .
this exchange will facilitate personnel from the more developed countries to learn how to live and work under unfamiliar austere circumstances .
this new learning curve will require a paradigm shift in the attitudes of the volunteers as they adapt to the requirements of the new and potentially hostile environments .
they learned lessons that should be used to guide other future teams who are not already part of a unified , integrated infrastructure .
the team 's experience also points out both the major problems associated with modern disaster response and a possible solution .
the nature of mankind is a concern for those in need . 
 disasters , both natural and manmade , have been with us since the beginning of recorded history but media coverage of them is a relatively new phenomenon . 
 when these factors come together , there is great potential to both identify and serve the sick and injured . 
 however , the mass media by its nature tends to enhance the humanistic aspect of rescue while minimizing the practical problems involved . 
 we describe a recent scenario in haiti that puts some of these complications into a practical perspective .