Conducting health services research during the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences from the veterans health administration.

Connelly B, Hess E, Daus M, Battaglia C, Gilmartin HM. Conducting health services research during the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences from the veterans health administration. BMC health services research. 2023 Nov 16; 23(1):1267.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

• CDA 17-163 – Building Supportive Learning Environments: Implementation Research in VA Cardiac Cath Labs

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Health services researchers within the Veterans Health Administration (VA) seek to improve the delivery of care to the Veteran population, whose medical needs often differ from the general population. The COVID-19 pandemic and restricted access to medical centers and offices forced VA researchers and staff to transition to remote work. This study aimed to characterize the work experience of health service researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A REDCap survey developed from the management literature was distributed in July 2020 to 800 HSRandD researchers and staff affiliated with VA Centers of Innovation. We requested recipients to forward the survey to VA colleagues. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression modeling were conducted on multiple choice and Likert scaled items. Manifest content analysis was conducted on open-text responses. RESULTS: Responses were received from 473 researchers and staff from 37 VA Medical Centers. About half (48%; n? = 228) of VA HSRandD researchers and staff who responded to the survey experienced some interference with their research due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet 55% (n? = 260) reported their programs of research did not slow or stop. Clinician investigators reported significantly greater odds of interference than non-clinician investigators and support staff. The most common barriers to working remotely were loss of face-to-face interactions with colleagues (56%; n? = 263) and absence of daily routines (25%; n? = 118). Strategies teams used to address COVID-19 related remote work challenges included videoconferencing (79%; n? = 375), virtual get-togethers (48%; n? = 225), altered timelines (42%; n? = 199), daily email updates (30%; n? = 143) and virtual team huddles (16%; n? = 74). Pre-pandemic VA information technology structures along with systems created to support multidisciplinary research teams working across a national healthcare system maintained and enhanced staff engagement and well-being. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies how the VA structures and systems put in place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to support a dispersed workforce enabled the continuation of vital scientific research, staff engagement and well-being during a global pandemic. These findings can inform remote work policies and practices for researchers during the current and future crises.