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FORUM - Translating research into quality health care for Veterans


In This Issue

Director's Letter

Director's Letter
by David Atkins, M.D., M.P.H., Director, HSR&D

Understanding the various manifestations of post-deployment health problems—and how VHA can best address them—is a fundamental health services research challenge. Research is needed to delineate the complicated interactions between and among initial stressors, the susceptibility or resilience of returning Veterans, the post-deployment environment into which Veterans return, and the models of care available to them...

Commentary

A Transformation in VA Post-Deployment Care
by Stephen C. Hunt, M.D., M.P.H., VA Puget Sound Health Care System and Lucille Burgo-Black, M.D., Director and Co-Director, Post-Deployment Integrated Care Initiative, VA Connecticut Health Care System

The transformation of VA's post-deployment care has emerged from the classical partnership of the three Ps: patients, providers, and principal investigators. This partnership builds on the strong tradition of research and evidence-driven continuous quality improvement in Veterans' health care...

Response to Commentary

The Value of Polytrauma Interdisciplinary Care
by David X. Cifu, M.D., National Director, PM&R Program Office, Office of Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services, VA Central Office

Often, there is no simple or quick solution to the complex conditions that may be seen with polytrauma, let alone the magnification and uniqueness of the symptoms and functional deficits that Veterans may experience with two or more conditions. An established team of dedicated professionals with both primary care and specialty care expertise is the most effective approach...

Research Highlights

Barriers to Mental Health Treatment among Returning OEF/OIF Veterans
by Tracy Stecker, Ph.D., VAMC, White River Junction, Vermont

Arguably, one of the most frequently cited statements regarding barriers to mental health treatment among returning military personnel is that a stigma persists within military culture toward mental health treatment...


Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Screening and Comorbidities
by Bridget M. Smith, M.P.A., Ph.D., and Charlesnika T. Evans, M.P.H., Ph.D., Center for Management of Complex Chronic Care (CMC3), Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, Illinois

Approximately 15 to 20 percent of military personnel deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan--Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)--have experienced a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI)...In addition to experiencing mild TBI, a substantial number of OEF/OIF Veterans have comorbid mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression...


Peer Outreach for National Guard Soldiers--Assessing the BuddytoBuddy Program
by Marcia Valenstein, M.D., M.S., HSR&D Center for Clinical Management Research/ Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

...NG Soldiers fare significantly worse than active component Soldiers following their return home. In a recent study, 41 percent of NG Soldiers reported mental health symptoms or psychosocial concerns warranting further evaluation or a continuation of mental health care...


Organizational Profile

Accelerating Innovation and Translation through Strategic Partnerships: Collaborative Research to Enhance and Advance Transformation and Excellence (CREATE) and Centers of Innovation (COIN)
by Sara J. Knight, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Health Services Research and Development, Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs

Few mechanisms are in place to align health care research with the needs of health care policymakers and administrators. In this respect, CREATE and COIN are transformational; they support not only collaborative researchers but also the VHA managers, or stakeholders, likely to use the results of the research...


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