In the 20th century, military servicemembers were found to be healthier than the average individual, with lower mortality rates than their U.S. civilian counterparts.
VA Studies Find Older Patients Unexpectedly Amenable to Deprescribing
Clinicians are often wary of suggesting that older patients discontinue some of their medications, believing they will get pushback.
EHR Rollout Increased Patient Error Risks, Made Staff Jobs More Difficult
Due to the sheer number of complaints received about VA’s rollout of its new electronic health record (EHR) at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC, the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated two separate, simultaneous inspections into the EHR process.
New Line of USP <800> Labels Can Help Assure Staff, Patient Safety
Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals understand the importance of clearly identifying medications requiring special handling, such as those covered by USP <800> and that the safety of staff and patients is at stake.
AMA-Negative Cholangitis Patients Have Similar Outcomes
Patients diagnosed with antimitochondrial antibody (AMA)-negative primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have clinical and histopathological findings consistent with PBC but without positive AMA.
Deployment Increases Alcohol Misuse Risk Among National Guard, Reservists
Active-duty servicemembers face well known and quantified risk for alcohol misuse. Consequently, many return from combat to military bases, where they receive screening and have ready access to behavioral health.
Why Diabetes Patients With NAFLD Have Higher HCC Risk
While it is recognized that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease who also have Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have a high risk of progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. Exactly what causes the higher risks remain unclear, however, according to a new study.
Biomarkers Signal Risks for HCC in Cirrhosis Patients
For a patient with cirrhosis, the five-year risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a highly lethal cancer with a significant increasing incidence and mortality, might be as high as 30%.
Are DoD’s Suicide Prevention Efforts Failing? Some Legislators Think So
When it comes to suicide prevention, is the DoD putting its time and money in the right place? That was the question asked at a recent House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee hearing.
In-Hospital Weight Loss Signals Improved Clinical Outcomes in HF Patients
Nearly all patients hospitalized for acute heart failure are acutely congested due to fluid retention and have gained weight by the time of their admission.
VA’s Prescribing of Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants Often Guideline Discordant
Since they were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become the most commonly-prescribed anticoagulants for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) due to their predictable pharmacokinetics, few drug-drug interactions and low monitoring requirements.
Veterans Receiving VA Emergency Care Have Lower 30-Day Mortality
Long-standing concerns over the difficulties navigating VA’s large and complex healthcare system and the lack of choice veterans have about where to obtain their care have led to reforms in recent years that enable veterans to opt to obtain care in the private sector.
Recovered COVID-19 Patients Have Much Greater Risk of Incident Diabetes
While it has been obvious for some time that the COVID-19 pandemic would create longer-term health effects, it is only now becoming clearer what some of those might be.
VA Study Finds That Reduced Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction Can Affect Beta-Blocker Effectiveness in Some HFrEF Patients but Not Others
Beta blockers have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a complex syndrome characterized by impairment of the left ventricle resulting in a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
New Mothers at MHS Facilities Less Likely to Use Opioids
MHS patients are less likely to fill a prescription for opioids after delivery of a child than those receiving care from civilian facilities.
Beyond SPRINT: Drug Regimen, Systolic Blood Pressure Affect CVD
The landmark Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) quickly changed the standard treatment of patients at high cardiovascular risk in the U.S.
VHA Offers Inconsistent Benzodiazepine Dosing for AWS
Hospitalized patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) —which is not uncommon—often have increased intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, more hospital-acquired infections or sepsis and higher in-hospital mortality.
Cardiologist Brings Novel Cardiac Mapping Technology to DCVAMC
Shortly after Christmas, while the hospital was bracing for the tidal wave that would be omicron, the DCVAMC made history, becoming the first VA in the nation to use new cardiac mapping technology to perform a cardiac ablation procedure.
Monitor Cancer Survivors for Thyroid Disorders
Patients who survive cancer often face second malignant neoplasms (SMN), which are among their most serious long-term adverse health conditions.
Study Finds Disparities in VA Prostate Cancer Care
African-American men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer, but it remains unclear whether racial and ethnic disparities occur in equal-access settings at the national level.
Opioid Safety Initiative Affected Cancer Pain Control
How has pain management for cancer patients been affected by the opioid epidemic and related risk reduction policies?
VA, House Committee Consider Future of Vet Center Autonomy
As VA looks at the future of its Vet Center program and whether it is meeting current demand, one of its tasks is to find the balance between keeping Vet Centers’ historic autonomy and making sure the department is providing up-to-date care, especially for veterans who are high-risk for suicide and other mental health issues.
Why Do Cataract, TKA Surgeries Often Cost More at VA vs. Outside Care?
New study raises questions about which veterans requiring cataract and total knee replacement surgeries received community care, as opposed to the cases kept within the VA system.
Congressional Leadership Asks VA to Rethink Supply Chain System Plans
Bipartisan congressional leadership is asking that the VA halt its plans to adopt the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA’s) supply chain management system.
Brain Stimulation Improves Memory in Veterans with Early Alzheimer’s Disease
Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is a technique that uses strong magnetic pulses to stimulate regions of the brain, producing electric currents that may affect neuron activity.
Senate Passes Scaled-Down Bill Providing Healthcare to Burn Pit Victims
Legislation to extend healthcare to millions of veterans suffering from the effects of toxic exposure to burn pits passed the U.S. Senate unanimously last month. Advocates caution, however, that much more still needs to be done.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy Showed Some Advantages in Treating PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a prevalent and serious mental health problem among veterans. Of the veterans who received VA healthcare in 2019, 12.1% had PTSD, including 26.5% of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Why Does Sex Make a Difference in Statin Use Among Older Veterans?
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States, and female veterans are at particular risk.
Transition to Civilian Life Remains Difficult Years After Military Discharge
Each year, more than 200,000 servicemembers leave the U.S. military—a transition that can prove difficult.
Palo Alto VA Tests Feasibility of Liquid Biopsy as Lung Cancer Screening Tool
The VA Palo Alto Health Care System stepped up to be the first testing site for an early detection study in lung cancer that uses a blood assay as a screening mechanism.
