Patient-centered behavioral services for women veterans with mental health conditions.
Michelle M PeboleElizabeth E VanVoorheesNivedita ChaudhryKaren M GoldsteinJillian ThompsonRyan ParkerKelly M CaronKatherine S HallPublished in: Translational behavioral medicine (2021)
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is undergoing a transformational shift from disease-focused care to a Whole Health model that emphasizes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. As this shift is occurring, women veterans using VHA services face challenges navigating a system that has historically served a primarily male demographic, without consistent consensus on which services require specialization by gender. A quality improvement project was conducted to solicit feedback on VHA behavioral and wellness programs from women veterans enrolled in VHA mental healthcare services. A multi-disciplinary work group of clinical researchers and healthcare providers developed a needs assessment survey to assess patient needs and preferences for behavioral health services. A convenience sample of female veterans using VHA mental healthcare services within a comprehensive Women's Health Clinic were invited to complete this anonymous survey. 107 women Veterans 18-65+ years old (65.3% African American; 5.9% LatinX; 54.2% aged under 55) completed the survey. Over 50% of patients endorsed relationships, physical activity, sleep/nightmares, pain management, anger, or spiritual/moral pain as top wellness priorities. Programatic preferences included location (located at the main VA Hospital) and gender composition (female only group formats). Schedule conflicts were the most frequently cited barriers. Results from this quality improvement project highlight considerations for tailoring the content and delivery of behavioral services for women veterans with mental health conditions.
Keyphrases
- healthcare
- mental health
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- pain management
- quality improvement
- physical activity
- pregnancy outcomes
- primary care
- mental illness
- african american
- public health
- cervical cancer screening
- chronic pain
- cross sectional
- insulin resistance
- health information
- affordable care act
- emergency department
- newly diagnosed
- pregnant women
- neuropathic pain
- patient reported outcomes
- climate change
- electronic health record
- drug induced
- acute care
- metabolic syndrome