Awareness is growing that social and behavioral determinants of health (SDH)—essentially personal circumstances and environmental factors that shape conditions of daily life
Prostate-Specific Antigen Doubling Time Helps Determine Prognosis at VHA
What is the association between prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) with metastasis-free survival (MFS) and overall survival (OS) in VHA patients with nonmetastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC)?
VHA PSA Screening Rates Dropped for Some Groups
How did the 2012 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation against the prostate specific antigen screening for prostate cancer affect practice at the VHA?
Conservative PCa Management More Rare for Black Veterans
In general, clinical guidelines recommend conservative management, either active surveillance or watchful waiting, for men with low-risk and intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
IG: Mismanagement Contributed to Veteran Death at Augusta, GA, VAMC
AUGUSTA—A patient at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, GA, was held in restraints for nearly three days, contributing to the blood clots in his legs that resulted in his death, a VA inspector general report found last month. The report outlines...
Post-Surgical Pain, Opioids Decreased in Veterans Who Received Acupuncture
DETROIT—Using acupuncture in veterans facing surgery resulted in less post-surgical pain and the use of fewer opioids to manage it, according to new research. The randomized, controlled study was presented at the Anesthesiology 2020 annual meeting and found that VA...
VA Plagued by Data Breaches, Hacks – Including One Recently
WASHINGTON—A data breach exposed the personal information of more than 46,000 veterans this summer, the VA recently revealed. Hackers gained access to VA’s Financial Services Center (FSC), diverting payments meant for community care providers. According to VA...
Rethinking Pharmacy Access Improves Care for Homeless Veterans
Housing and mental health have always been intrinsically intertwined in the VA’s efforts to care for homeless veterans. As its original name—the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Program—made clear, the Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program focuses on providing services to veterans with serious mental health diagnoses.
Use of Low-Value Diagnostic Testing Varies Greatly Among VAMCs
Low-value diagnostic testing not only is associated with wasteful healthcare spending but also has the potential to expose patients to risk with little benefit.
New Definitions for Flu-Related Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis
Patients admitted to intensive care units with influenza increasingly are being diagnosed with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
COVID-19 Inpatients More Likely Younger, Male Vs. Flu
While comorbid conditions appeared to be common among individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, estimates of prevalence vary and not enough is known about the prior medication use of patients.
Influenza Strains Don’t Differ Much in Severity
The influenza A/H1N1 pandemic of 2009 to 2010 raised the question of whether some flu strains are inherently more likely to cause severe illness than others.
More Benefits for Metformin Are Emerging Beyond Blood Glucose Control
Metformin is like a fine red wine: Its appeal continues to grow over time. More than 70 years after its first clinical use in diabetes, the staple of blood glucose control continues to surprise researchers with unexpected benefits in treating COVID-19, cancer and dementia.
VA Expands Tools to Help Veterans and Clinicians Manage Hypoglycemia Risk
For years, diabetes management was primarily concerned with keeping blood sugar from going too high. Now, and especially at the VA, keeping blood glucose from going too low is just as important.
Daily Aspirin Use Appears to Lower Severity of COVID-19 Cases
With all of the testing of complex new therapies to lower severity of COVID-19 infections, a simple and common practice — taking a daily aspirin to protect against cardiovascular disease – has shown some promise.
Study: Use Fluoroquinolones Only for Serious Infections Without Alternatives
Prescriptions for fluoroquinolones have been dropping over the past decade at the VHA and elsewhere. A new study pointed out that reasons include both a greater emphasis on antimicrobial stewardship, as well as growing provider awareness of serious adverse drug reactions.
Robin Peck, MD, Closes Gap Between VA Care, Those Who Need It Most
The journey of Robin Peck, MD, to VA was short and straight.
Like many medical students at George Washington University, she rotated through the DC VAMC both as a student and a resident in internal medicine.
New Treatments Offer Hope for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Patients
Four years ago, individuals with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) had no therapies that could slow the disease. Today, three disease-modifying drugs have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and at least five more have begun clinical trials.