In the VHA’s Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTS) system to provide optimal primary care (PC) for veterans, all members of the PACT are expected to function at the top of their training and scope. That is not the case, however, with nurses, according to a recent survey and analysis.
Older veterans who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are significantly more likely than their peers to have been diagnosed with neurologic conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke or epilepsy even before the injury occurs, according to a new retrospective cohort study.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. veterans, with about 15,000 veterans diagnosed and treated through the VA each year. PSA screening can help detect prostate cancer early, but determining how screening can best identify men at risk for serious disease has been a challenge.
More veterans are screening positive for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even as measures of suicide risk and alcohol-use disorder show modest improvement, according to a large new study of more than 3.6 million veterans receiving care through the VA.
A cancer diagnosis has often been viewed as the end of a military career, particularly for servicemembers whose duties require deployment to austere or remote environments.
Each year, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) leads to tens of thousands of hospitalizations among U.S. adults age 65 years and older, with the greatest risk among people with cardiopulmonary disease, diabetes, frailty and immunocompromising conditions.
Approximately 17 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the latest VA data. As such, identifying factors to assist clinicians in recognizing a veteran’s increasing suicide risk has become increasingly important. A new study pointed to one factor that might deserve more attention—financial distress.
Asthma is a common and potentially life-threatening illness that can affect children from all races and ethnicities, but the burden of asthma is not shared equally. Previous studies have shown there are racial/ethnic variations in the prevalence, treatment and outcomes of asthma; these variations can be attributed to barriers to accessing healthcare, costs associated with healthcare and the larger social determinants of health.
Alcohol’s relationship with health is complicated: The same pattern of drinking that can be associated with lower rates of cardiovascular events and death in a large study of U.S. veterans also was linked to increased cancer risk.
Despite a plethora of compelling evidence supporting sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors for patients with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD), many eligible patients still do not receive them.
Approximately 17 veterans die by suicide every day, according to the latest VA data. As such, identifying factors to assist clinicians in recognizing a veteran’s increasing suicide risk has become increasingly important. A new study pointed to one factor that might deserve more attention—financial distress.
Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most difficult challenges facing clinicians. Although vancomycin taper-and-pulse regimens have been used for decades to reduce the risk of recurrence, high-quality randomized evidence supporting the approach has been limited.
A new scoring system might help physicians identify pulmonary veno-occlusive disease/pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PVOD/PCH), a rare but particularly dangerous subtype of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), allowing for more appropriate treatment and earlier referral for lung transplantation.
The Military Health System (MHS) is often cited as a model for reducing healthcare disparities because every beneficiary is covered by the same insurance.
Veterans who served in military occupations with repeated blast overpressure exposure were significantly more likely to have evidence of anger, aggression and violence documented in their medical records than veterans in lower-risk occupations, according to a new study led by researchers at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System and the University of Utah.
The number of gynecologic cancer diagnoses among women veterans and military servicemembers has nearly tripled over the past two decades, reflecting both the growing population of women who have served in the military and an increasing need to address cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship in this population, according to a new study.
More veterans are screening positive for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even as measures of suicide risk and alcohol-use disorder show modest improvement, according to a large new study of more than 3.6 million veterans receiving care through the VA.
Advances in lung-cancer screening and treatment have improved survival for patients across the United States. But new research suggested that healthcare delivery might be just as important as medical innovation in determining outcomes.
Colorectal cancer screening rates remain below national targets in the general U.S. population, but a large new study suggested that adherence might be substantially higher among military members, retirees and their families.
Telemedicine has become an important tool for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, particularly for patients facing geographic, mobility or scheduling barriers to specialty care. But new research from the VA suggests outcomes may differ, depending on how remote diabetes specialty care is delivered.