Young and middle-age veterans who experienced sexual harassment and assault during military service are at an increased risk for hypertension and, potentially, its cardiovascular complications, a new study suggested.
VA Efforts to Secure Its IT System Hampered by Congressional Doubts
For years, VA has struggled to secure its IT systems, with cybersecurity appearing as a persistent weakness in inspectors’ reports.
The department has said it believes that one of the steps toward making progress is addressing the buildup of outdated technology and software, or “technical debt,” that VA has accrued over the decades. VA estimates the total cost of fixing that current debt at $1.3 billion.
VA Commissions Independent Cost Analysis of EHR Modernization Overruns
After underreporting the cost of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) project by billions, VA is undertaking an independent cost analysis that is estimated to take as long as 12 months to complete.
VA Researchers Seek to Understand Factors Linked to Prosthetic Joint Infection
In most head-to-head comparisons, surgical care at the VHA is found to be as good or better than that provided in the community. That’s why a recent study on joint replacement surgery was so surprising.
Efforts to Gather More Data on Veteran Patients Sparks Controversy
On numerous occasions, VA officials testifying before Congress have, upon being asked, been unable to provide accurate demographics on the department’s patient population, because the information had not been collected or collated.
Patients With Uncontrolled HIV Face Higher Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
A new veterans study underscored the critical need for viral suppression and heart disease risk factor modification among HIV patients. Researchers determined that those with sustained viremia or low CD4 cell counts had an excess risk of sudden death.
LA VAMC Researcher Works to Create Racial, Ethnic, Gender Equity in Healthcare
When Donna Washington, MD, MPH, moved to Los Angeles for a health services fellowship at UCLA following her residency, she imagined that she would end up working in a county or public health system.
House VA Committee Investigates Recruitment of Veterans by Extremist Groups
What role, if any, does VA have in preventing the recruitment of veterans into organizations that promote violence against the United States and its citizens? A trio of hearings hosted by the House Veterans Affairs Committee explored the question.
PTSD Can Worsen Dying Experience for Veterans Facing End of Life
Most veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder don’t just age out of it. At their end of life, veterans with PTSD often frequently exhibit irritability with their caregivers, sleep problems, nightmares, anxiety, guilt, lack of acceptance and restlessness, according to recent research.
VHA Observational Study Finds No Links Between Testosterone, CV Events
Hormone replacement therapy can have a number of beneficial effects—improving libido and sexual function, lifting energy and mood, increasing muscle mass and bone mineral density and decreasing fat mass—in men with low levels of testosterone, according to studies.
TAPS Can Be the Start of Something Good for Veterans with Essential Tremor
Veterans are used to the sound of Taps marking an end. For a growing number, TAPS may indicate the beginning of a road to recovery of independence.
What Soldiers Are Most at Risk of Acting on Suicide Ideation?
The statistics are alarming. More soldiers die from self-inflicted gunshot wounds than combat injuries. Eighty-three percent of firearm deaths in the military are from suicide.
Rotation to Buprenorphine Effective for Pain Patients
Does rotation of buprenorphine from full μ-opioid receptor agonists improve pain-related outcomes and lessen adverse effects in patients with chronic pain and long-term use of narcotics?
Heart Failure Complicates VA Pain Prescribing
Pain and heart failure are highly comorbid, which can create problems for clinicians attempting to control the conditions.
Mixed Results for Discontinuing Chronic Opioid Therapy at VHA
While discontinuing chronic opioid therapy in veterans appears to be associated with decreased diagnoses for opioid-related adverse outcomes, the association with substance use disorders appears to be inconclusive, according to a new study.
For Veterans With Cancer, Teleoncology Offers High Patient Satisfaction
Approximately 50,000 U.S. military veterans are diagnosed with cancer annually, representing 3% of all cancers across the nation.
Cancer Patients Have Better Survival With Military Health Service Care
MHS provides universal healthcare to beneficiaries, reducing barriers to medical care access. That appears to be especially beneficial for military beneficiaries facing a colon cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Healthcare Quality Assurance Programs Again Found Lacking by OIG Report
The quality, safety and value (QSV) programs in some VA facilities continue to fall short, according to a new VA Inspector General report.
Seizures Appear to Signal Worse Cognition in TBI Patients
For hospitalized patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries, more than half have seizures and abnormal periodic or rhythmic patterns observed on continuous electroencephalography monitoring (cEEG).
Battlefield Blast Exposure Linked to Mental Health Effects
Chronic mental health symptoms including post-traumatic stress, depression and neurobehavioral issues increase proportionately with blast exposure severity, according to a new study.
New Focus Is on Taking Care of Victims of Military Sexual Assault
As DoD officials look to make good on President Joe Biden’s promise to address sexual assault and harassment in the military, they are framing a portion of that effort in terms of a pressing public health need.
More Epilepsy Counseling, Education Needed at VA
While care of epilepsy patients tends to be high quality at the VHA, not enough emphasis is placed on education and counseling, according to a new study.
Patients With Uncontrolled HIV Face Higher Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death
A new veterans study underscored the critical need for viral suppression and heart disease risk factor modification among HIV patients. Researchers determined that those with sustained viremia or low CD4 cell counts had an excess risk of sudden death.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities Identified in Rates of Severe Influenza
Marked racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality have raised important questions about racial and ethnic differences associated with other respiratory viral infections, including influenza.
Lang Tests Alternative Methods to Help Veterans Recover From PTSD
Every veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder has a different experience—a different collection of symptoms, interacting in ways unique to that veteran’s life and experience.
Veteran Suicides Dropped in Latest Statistics, Reversing Steady Increases
According to VA’s 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, veteran suicides dropped in 2019, reversing the steady rise seen in previous years.
White River Junction VAMC Pilots WHO Suicide Prevention Program at VA
After 18 months of pandemic disruption and isolation, International organizations are urging governments, health systems and nonprofits to prioritize suicide prevention. The VA may have just the program.
Veteran Was Missing for Almost a Month Before Decomposed Body Found
On June 12, 2020, a badly decomposed body was found in the emergency exit stairwell of the Bedford Veterans Quarters (BVQ), a privately operated, independent living facility on the campuses of VA’s Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital.
How Mandatory HCP Vaccines Affect Infections
The VA led the way among federal agencies in requiring front-line health workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It later expanded the requirement to most VHA employees, volunteers and contractors who work in those facilities or come in contact with veteran patients and healthcare workers as part of their duties.
COVID-19 Shots Protected VA Cirrhosis Patients
Administration of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to veterans with cirrhosis resulted in a delayed and modest reduction in infection rates. Excellent protection against related hospitalization or death was achieved, however, according to a new study.
