Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
An official website of the United States government
Stineman M (CHERP), Bates B
(Albany VAMC), Cowper D
(Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center REAP), Vogel W
(Gainesville VAMC REAP), Kurichi J
(University of Pennsylvania)
Workshop Objectives:
If life saving procedures represented the most spectacular medical achievement of the 20th century, then the reduction of disabilities may represent the most imperative challenge facing medicine in the 21st century. HSR&D procedures are applied in many medical fields to define optimal care patterns, balance quality and cost, and address patient preferences. Yet, despite the high projected prevalence of disability resulting from the aging of veterans and those returning from Operation Enduring Freedom with major multiple trauma, there is a paucity of HSR&D studies in rehabilitation research.
While rehabilitation HSR&D shares many challenges in common with other fields inherent in observational designs, it also includes unique challenges. This workshop highlights special challenges and potential solutions related to HSR&D rehabilitation such as the measurement of outcomes (function and quality of life [QoL]). Specifically we will:
1. Demonstrate the utility of Geographic Information System tools to examine access to differing levels of rehabilitation services provided by the VHA Polytrauma System of Care using OEF/OIF war fighters with traumatic brain injury and traumatic amputation as examples.
2. Demonstrate the impact of structural differences in service availability on access to specialized rehabilitation for veterans with lower extremity amputations and explore the clinical characteristics associated with the decision to admit to specialized rehabilitation units.
3. Apply functional independence staging to outcomes assessment and clinical guideline development, and to addressing disparities in outcomes.
4. Demonstrate ways of using Recovery Preference Exploration (RPE) to study veterans’ outcome preferences, calculate QoL-weighted function, or enhance access to patient-centered care.
Activities:
Each objective will include a short presentation to enhance participant knowledge and stimulate participant involvement. Specific analytic issues and challenges will be offered. Participants will be invited to react to solutions, ask questions, raise further issues, or propose different solutions. Participants will experience RPE in the process of learning that technique.
Target Audience:
All health services researchers, other researchers, clinicians, and policy analysts in rehabilitation and in other fields with interests in discovering ways to enhance QoL among veterans with physical disabilities.
Assumed Audience Familiarity with Topic:
Basic knowledge of HSR&D.
