Brenda Mooney, US Medicine Editor
The White House announced this month that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) has ended and that the United States is “well-prepared to manage the risks of COVID-19 going forward.”
Who could have imagined that in 2020, when we all believed – or at least hoped – that the initial 14-day lockdown would defeat the virus? Or in 2021 and 2022 when it seemed as if the pandemic would never end?
Now, federal medicine continues to grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic, while also returning to some version of normal operations.
Without question, widespread infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and precautions enacted to protect against it will have far-reaching influences on how care is delivered. This year’s Compendium of Federal Medicine includes articles describing those trends – whether it is good news related to the expansion of telehealth services at the VA or bad news about the pervasiveness of Long Covid, post-infection symptoms that appear to be especially common in older adults who survived an acute infection.
At the same time, however, some of the concerns temporarily overshadowed by a global pandemic are again being fully addressed and make up a substantial portion of our 2023 publication. The passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 promises to significantly improve healthcare access and funding for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. Articles discuss how that has made a difference in the care of everything from blood cancer to lung disorders.
Fortunately, new drugs and treatment combinations are constantly improving survival rates, even for older patients. The 60 and older cohort also is the beneficiary of a new vaccine to protect against severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and of new research that helps allay concerns about unintended weight loss with new diabetes drugs.
Another persistent apprehension related to veterans and active-duty servicemembers is how mental health issues affect their physical health and risk of suicide. Articles put the spotlight on schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, as well as other mental health issues. The DoD is concerned about force readiness, which also is affected by sleep disorders.
What makes coverage in the Compendium of Federal Medicine different is the understanding that the patient populations served by the VHA and MHS have unique characteristics and needs. A good example is the article on the rise of all types of liver cancer; our writers take it a step farther to demonstrate how veterans are at especially high risk.
Deep understanding of their patients and their special needs is one of the reasons that the VHA and MHS offer such high-quality care. For more on that theme, be sure to read the articles on the care of pressure injuries, commonly known as bedsores.