JGIM Supplement Features VA Research on Women Veterans' Health and Healthcare
BACKGROUND:
Women’s increased rate of participation in the U.S. military is reshaping the Veteran population. As demand for evidence to support women-centered care delivery started to grow, VA was spurred to develop its first enterprise-wide women’s health research agenda in 2006. Shortly after, VA also funded the VA Women’s Health Research Network (WHRN) to build women’s health research capacity through structured support for a national consortium of researchers—and a practice-based research network (PBRN) to foster inclusion of women in VA research. This led to a dramatic increase in funding of women Veterans’ research (over $40 million in the last decade). Sponsored by HSR&D and WHRN, this special issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM), titled “Moving Women Veterans’ Health Research Forward,” includes 25 articles and 2 editorials that highlight innovations and new findings related to women Veterans’ health and healthcare, including the diverse needs and experiences of women Veterans and active duty and Reserve/National Guard servicewomen. This collection of cutting-edge research will be of interest both within and beyond the VA healthcare system.
Articles include, but are not limited to:
- Dhruva et al. discuss persistent gender-based disparities in cardiovascular disease guideline-directed medical therapy among younger women Veterans.
- Farkas et al. explore how VA women’s health primary care providers can prepare for and sustain their work in caring for the medical complexity of women Veterans by receiving training at women’s health mini-residencies.
- Galovski et al. describe WoVeN, a unique national social network of women Veterans that trains peer leaders in facilitating group sessions with women Veterans.
- Hollis et al. advance methods of identifying experiences of sexual violence through using multiple data sources from the medical record.
- Iverson et al. help us understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on experiences of intimate partner violence and associations with PTSD and depressive symptoms.
- Kroll-Desrosiers et al. assess the potential mismatch between the desire for and use of mental health services during pregnancy.
- Lehavot et al. identify unique healthcare needs of women with lower-extremity amputation.
- Miller et al. explain the national reproductive mental health consultation program and evaluation, which has expanded access to expertise.
- Monteith et al. report on the prevalence of firearm access among women Veterans of reproductive age and the need for safe firearm storage initiatives.
- Spinella et al. describe an integrated multi-disciplinary women Veterans’ substance use disorder primary care clinic.
AUTHOR/FUNDING INFORMATION:
The lead VA HSR&D editors of this supplement are Alison Hamilton, PhD, MPH, part of HSR&D’s Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), and Karen M. Goldstein MD, MSPH, part of HSR&D’s Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT).
Journal of General Internal Medicine. Moving Women Veterans’ Research Forward: A Special Supplement. September 2022:37(Suppl 3).
