scholarly journals Improving Access to Care for Women Veterans Suffering from Chronic Pain and Depression Associated with Trauma

Pain Medicine ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1010-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Tan ◽  
Irene Teo ◽  
Devika Srivastava ◽  
Donna Smith ◽  
Shirley L. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
Women Veterans

Women Veterans’ Experiences with Integrated, Biopsychosocial Pain Care: A Qualitative Study

Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca M Nicosia ◽  
Carolyn J Gibson ◽  
Natalie Purcell ◽  
Kara Zamora ◽  
Jennifer Tighe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Care Models ◽  
Va Health Care System ◽  
Pain Care ◽  
Gender Specific

Abstract Objectives Biopsychosocial, integrated pain care models are increasingly implemented in the Veterans Health Administration to improve chronic pain care and reduce opioid-related risks, but little is known about how well these models address women veterans’ needs. Design Qualitative, interview-based study. Setting San Francisco VA Health Care System Integrated Pain Team (IPT), an interdisciplinary team that provides short-term, personalized chronic pain care emphasizing functional goals and active self-management. Subjects Women with chronic pain who completed ≥3 IPT sessions. Methods Semistructured phone interviews focused on overall experience with IPT, perceived effectiveness of IPT care, pain care preferences, and suggested changes for improving gender-sensitive pain care. We used a rapid approach to qualitative thematic analysis to analyze interviews. Results Fourteen women veterans (mean age 51 years; range 33–67 years) completed interviews. Interviews revealed several factors impacting women veterans’ experiences: 1) an overall preference for receiving both primary and IPT care in gender-specific settings, 2) varying levels of confidence that IPT could adequately address gender-specific pain issues, 3) barriers to participating in pain groups, and 4) barriers to IPT self-management recommendations due to caregiving responsibilities. Conclusions Women veterans reported varied experiences with IPT. Recommendations to improve gender-sensitive pain care include increased provider training; increased knowledge of and sensitivity to women’s health concerns; and improved accommodations for prior trauma, family and work obligations, and geographic barriers. To better meet the needs of women veterans with chronic pain, integrated pain care models must be informed by an understanding of gender-specific needs, challenges, and preferences.

Menopause symptoms and chronic pain in a national sample of midlife women veterans

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 708-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn J. Gibson ◽  
Yongmei Li ◽  
Daniel Bertenthal ◽  
Alison J. Huang ◽  
Karen H. Seal
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Midlife Women

Patient perspectives on wait times and the impact on their life: A waiting room survey in a chronic pain clinic

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Liddy ◽  
Patricia A. Poulin ◽  
Zoë Hunter ◽  
Catherine Smyth ◽  
Erin Keely
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Pain Clinic ◽  
Wait Times ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pain Care ◽  
Chronic Pain Clinic

AbstractBackground and AimsChronic pain is a debilitating condition that requires prompt access to care for effective treatment. Wait times for care often exceed benchmark recommendations, with potential consequences to patient health outcomes. The goal of this paper is to gain the perspectives of patients attending a chronic pain clinic regarding the acceptability of current wait times and the impact of their experiences of waiting for chronic pain care.MethodsThe study took place in a chronic pain clinic at an academic-affiliated teaching hospital in Ottawa, Canada, which housed seven clinicians at the time of the study. New patients attending the chronic pain clinic between July 14, 2014 and August 5, 2015 were eligible to participate based on the availability of the research and clerical staff who administered the survey on a variety of days over the course of the study. Patients completed a self-administered 29-item survey. The survey took approximately five to ten minutes to complete. Questions pertained to patients’ socioeconomic factors, chronicity and burden of pain symptoms, and satisfaction with current wait times. Actual wait times were self-reported. Survey results were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, exported to SPSS, and coded numerically to facilitate descriptive analyses using comparative graphs and tables. Open-text responses were reviewed by the authors.ResultsSixty-six patients completed the survey. While 83% of patients stated that their ideal wait time was less than three months, 32% reported receiving an appointment within this period, and 31% reported waiting a year or more. Only 37% of patients felt the wait time for their appointment was appropriate. During their wait,41% of patients reported receiving written information about chronic pain and 47% were referred to a local chronic pain management group. 94% reported interference with social/recreational activities and normal activities of daily living, 31% had to miss work or school due to the frequency of ongoing symptoms, and 22% reported being unable to attend work or school altogether. Furthermore, 37% of patients reported visiting the emergency room within the previous year and 65% worried about having a serious undiagnosed disease.ConclusionsOur study found that wait times for chronic pain care, even those triaged as urgent cases, far exceeded what patients considered ideal. Only a third of patients received care within three months of making their appointment, while nearly another third waited over a year. During the waiting period, nearly all patients experienced some impact on their day-to-day activities and work or school attendance, half were unemployed, and nearly a quarter reported a complete inability to attend work or school because of pain.ImplicationsWait times for chronic pain care exceed timelines deemed acceptable by patients, causing anxiety and reducing function. The patient perspective must be considered in initiatives attempting to improve access to care for this population with specific needs and goals. Innovative solutions, such as electronic consultation and shared care models, hold promise.

scholarly journals The Use of Telepain for Chronic Pain in the U.S. Armed Forces: Patient Experience from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

2020 ◽  
Vol 185 (5-6) ◽  
pp. e632-e637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Byrne ◽  
Christopher Spevak
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Strongly Agree ◽  
The Military ◽  
Time Away

Abstract Introduction Chronic pain affects over 100 million American adults. The prevalence of chronic pain is even higher among U.S. military personnel. Approximately 44% of active duty military experience pain upon returning from deployment compared with 26% of the general public who experience chronic pain. The high prevalence of chronic pain within the Military Health System is compounded by limited access to chronic pain specialists, specifically with regard to patients at remote military treatment facilities (MTFs). Thus, when compared to personnel at tertiary care MTFs, they often have decreased access to care and experience increased time away from their mission to receive care. Since 2009, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has been using telemedicine to extend chronic pain consults to remote MTFs within the National Capital Region (NCR). The goal of this study was to determine if patients referred to the WRNMMC Telepain Program reported improvements in subjective measures associated with accessing care. To accomplish this, we surveyed a convenience sample of patients using the service to determine if participation: (1) improved pain, (2) improved quality of life, (3) decreased travel time, (4) improved access to care, and (5) decreased time away from work. Materials and Methods An official on behalf of the Institutional Review Board at WRNMMC determined this research to be not human subject research. Over a 13-month period, surveys were administered at the conclusion of all initial Telepain Consults. The survey consisted of an eight question, 5-point balanced Likert scale survey with 1 (strongly disagree) being the most negative and 5 (strongly agree) being most positive. The questions were designed to gauge impact on patient’s perceived access to care, quality of life, overall patient satisfaction, and privacy concerns. The percentages of answers, including strongly agree or agree for positive toned questions and strongly disagree and disagree for negatively toned questions, were calculated and presented in a clustered bar graph. Results A total of 66 Telepain surveys were collected over 13 months with an overall positive reception. Respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Telepain increased access to care (98.5%) and decreased travel time (96.9%). When asked if they would recommend a Telepain visit to others, 93.9% of indicated strongly agree or agree. When asked about overall satisfaction, 83.3% of patients answered completely satisfied or very satisfied. Conclusions The majority of pain specialists within the Military Health System are located at major military medical centers, the most of which are distant from surrounding MTFs. Prior to the development of the WRNMMC Telepain service, personnel at remote MTFs had to endure extended time away from their mission to receive care. The majority of patients that participated in the NCR Telepain program reported a positively perceived impact on pain, access to care, quality of life, transportation burden, and time away from work. In conclusion, The NCR Telepain team of providers have worked together to successfully establish a viable Telepain program at WRNMMC, one that will continue to be further improved and successful in the future.

scholarly journals Access to Care for Women Veterans: Delayed Healthcare and Unmet Need

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 655-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna L. Washington ◽  
Bevanne Bean-Mayberry ◽  
Deborah Riopelle ◽  
Elizabeth M. Yano
Keyword(s):  
Access To Care ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Unmet Need

Mindfulness-based training for women veterans with chronic pain: A retrospective study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Okvat ◽  
Mary C. Davis ◽  
Erin G. Mistretta ◽  
Aram S. Mardian
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Women Veterans

Access to Care for Chronic Pain: Racial and Ethnic Differences

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 301-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Nguyen ◽  
Carlos Ugarte ◽  
Ivonne Fuller ◽  
Gregory Haas ◽  
Russell K. Portenoy
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Access To Care ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Racial And Ethnic Differences
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