scholarly journals Examination of potential disparities in suicide risk identification and follow‐up care within the Veterans Health Administration

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1127-1139
Author(s):  
Sarah P. Carter ◽  
Carol A. Malte ◽  
Sasha M. Rojas ◽  
Eric J. Hawkins ◽  
Mark A. Reger
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Follow Up Care

Association between acute psychiatric bed availability in the Veterans Health Administration and veteran suicide risk: a retrospective cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjqs-2020-012975
Author(s):  
Peter J Kaboli ◽  
Matthew R Augustine ◽  
Bjarni Haraldsson ◽  
Nicholas M Mohr ◽  
M Bryant Howren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Bed Occupancy ◽  
Increased Risk

BackgroundVeteran suicides have increased despite mental health investments by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).ObjectiveTo examine relationships between suicide and acute inpatient psychiatric bed occupancy and other community, hospital and patient factors.MethodsRetrospective cohort study using administrative and publicly available data for contextual community factors. The study sample included all veterans enrolled in VHA primary care in 2011–2016 associated with 111 VHA hospitals with acute inpatient psychiatric units. Acute psychiatric bed occupancy, as a measure of access to care, was the main exposure of interest and was categorised by quarter as per cent occupied using thresholds of ≤85%, 85.1%–90%, 90.1%–95% and >95%. Hospital-level analyses were conducted using generalised linear mixed models with random intercepts for hospital, modelling number of suicides by quarter with a negative binomial distribution.ResultsFrom 2011 to 2016, the national incidence of suicide among enrolled veterans increased from 39.7 to 41.6 per 100 000 person-years. VHA psychiatric bed occupancy decreased from a mean of 68.2% (IQR 56.5%–82.2%) to 65.4% (IQR 53.9%–79.9%). VHA hospitals with the highest occupancy (>95%) in a quarter compared with ≤85% had an adjusted incident rate ratio (IRR) for suicide of 1.10 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.19); no increased risk was observed for 85.1%–90% (IRR 0.96; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.03) or 90.1%–95% (IRR 0.96; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.04) compared with ≤85% occupancy. Of hospital and community variables, suicide risk was not associated with number of VHA or non-VHA psychiatric beds or amount spent on community mental health. Suicide risk increased by age categories, seasons, geographic regions and over time.ConclusionsHigh VHA hospital occupancy (>95%) was associated with a 10% increased suicide risk for veterans whereas absolute number of beds was not, suggesting occupancy is an important access measure. Future work should clarify optimal bed occupancy to meet acute psychiatric needs and ensure adequate bed distribution.

Suicide Mortality Among Veterans Health Administration Care Recipients With Suicide Risk Record Flags

2021 ◽  
pp. appi.ps.2020007
Author(s):  
Tyler C. Hein ◽  
Talya Peltzman ◽  
Juliana Hallows ◽  
Nicole Theriot ◽  
John F. McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Care Recipients

scholarly journals Mild TBI and risk of Parkinson disease

Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 90 (20) ◽  
pp. e1771-e1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel C. Gardner ◽  
Amy L. Byers ◽  
Deborah E. Barnes ◽  
Yixia Li ◽  
John Boscardin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Parkinson Disease ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Mild Tbi ◽  
Psychiatric Comorbidities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Severe Tbi

ObjectiveOur aim was to assess risk of Parkinson disease (PD) following traumatic brain injury (TBI), including specifically mild TBI (mTBI), among care recipients in the Veterans Health Administration.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, we identified all patients with a TBI diagnosis in Veterans Health Administration databases from October 2002 to September 2014 and age-matched 1:1 to a random sample of patients without TBI. All patients were aged 18 years and older without PD or dementia at baseline. TBI exposure and severity were determined via detailed clinical assessments or ICD-9 codes using Department of Defense and Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center criteria. Baseline comorbidities and incident PD more than 1 year post-TBI were identified using ICD-9 codes. Risk of PD after TBI was assessed using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for demographics and medical/psychiatric comorbidities.ResultsAmong 325,870 patients (half with TBI; average age 47.9 ± 17.4 years; average follow-up 4.6 years), 1,462 were diagnosed with PD during follow-up. Compared to no TBI, those with TBI had higher incidence of PD (no TBI 0.31%, all-severity TBI 0.58%, mTBI 0.47%, moderate-severe TBI 0.75%). In adjusted models, all-severity TBI, mTBI, and moderate-severe TBI were associated with increased risk of PD (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: all-severity TBI 1.71 [1.53–1.92]; mTBI 1.56 [1.35–1.80]; moderate-severe TBI 1.83 [1.61–2.07]).ConclusionsAmong military veterans, mTBI is associated with 56% increased risk of PD, even after adjusting for demographics and medical/psychiatric comorbidities. This study highlights the importance of TBI prevention, long-term follow-up of TBI-exposed veterans, and the need to determine mechanisms and modifiable risk factors for post-TBI PD.

Suicide risk following a new cancer diagnosis among veterans in Veterans Health Administration care.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12130-12130
Author(s):  
Kallisse R. Dent ◽  
Benjamin R. Szymanski ◽  
Michael J. Kelley ◽  
Ira Katz ◽  
John F. McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Lung Cancer ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Suicide Rates

12130 Background: Patients diagnosed with cancer are at an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes including suicidal behavior. Suicide rates among Veterans are 50 percent greater than for non-Veteran US adults. To inform Veterans Affairs (VA) suicide prevention initiatives, it is important to understand associations between cancer and suicide risk among Veterans receiving VA healthcare from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Study aims were to assess associations between new cancer diagnoses and suicide among Veterans in VHA care to identify high risk diagnostic subgroups and risk-periods. Methods: We used a cohort study design, identifying 4,926,373 Veterans with VHA use in 2011 and either 2012 or 2013 and without a VHA cancer diagnosis in 2011. Incident cancer diagnoses, assessed between first VHA use in 2012-2013 and 12/31/2018, were characterized by subtype and stage using the VHA Oncology Raw Data. Data from the VA/Department of Defense Mortality Data Repository identified date and cause of death. Cox proportional hazards regression, accounting for time-varying cancer diagnosis, was used to evaluate associations between a new cancer diagnosis and suicide risk. An initial model adjusted for VHA regional network and patient age and sex. Cancer subtypes with significant associations with suicide were further assessed using a model that also adjusted for suicide attempts and mental health, tobacco use disorder, and other substance use disorder diagnoses in the prior year. Crude suicide rates following a new cancer diagnoses were calculated among Veterans with new diagnoses, 2012-2018 (N = 240,410). Rates were assessed up to 84 months following diagnosis. Results: On average, Veteran VHA users were followed for 6.0 years after their first VHA use in 2012-2013 and for 2.7 years following a new cancer diagnosis. Receipt of a new cancer diagnosis corresponded to a 43% (Adjusted Hazard Ratio [AHR] = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.58) higher suicide risk, adjusting for covariates. The cancer subtype associated with the highest suicide risk was esophageal cancer (AHR = 5.93, 95% CI: 4.05, 10.51) and other significant subtypes included head and neck (AHR = 3.44, 95% CI: 2.65, 4.46) and lung cancer (AHR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.79, 2.90). Cancer stages 3 (AHR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.75, 3.01) and 4 (AHR = 3.45, 95% CI: 2.75, 4.34) at diagnosis were also positively associated with suicide risk. Suicide rates were highest in the first three months following a diagnosis (Rate = 128.3 per 100,000 person-years, 95% CI: 100.4, 161.6) and remained elevated through the first 12 months. Conclusions: Among Veteran VHA users, suicide risk was elevated following a new cancer diagnosis and was especially high in the initial 3 months. Additional screening and suicide prevention efforts may be warranted for VHA Veterans newly diagnosed with cancer, particularly among those diagnosed with esophageal, head and neck, or lung cancer or at stages 3 or 4.

Improving Perceptions of Teamwork Climate With the Veterans Health Administration Medical Team Training Program

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 480-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian T. Carney ◽  
Priscilla West ◽  
Julia B. Neily ◽  
Peter D. Mills ◽  
James P. Bagian
Keyword(s):  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Team Training ◽  
Medical Team ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety Attitudes ◽  
Safety Attitudes Questionnaire ◽  
Physician Perceptions ◽  
Nonparametric Testing

There are differences between nurse and physician perceptions of teamwork. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these differences would be reduced with medical team training (MTT). The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire was administered to nurses and physicians working in the operating rooms of 101 consecutive hospitals before and at the completion of an MTT program. Responses to the 6 teamwork climate items on the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire were analyzed using nonparametric testing. At baseline, physicians had more favorable perceptions on teamwork climate items than nurses. Physicians demonstrated improvement on all 6 teamwork climate items. Nurses demonstrated improvement in perceptions on all teamwork climate items except “Nurse input is well received.” Physicians still had a more favorable perception than nurses on all 6 teamwork climate items at follow-up. Despite an improvement in perceptions by physicians and nurses, baseline nurse–physician differences persisted at completion of the Veterans Health Administration MTT Program.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Gender Identity Disorder and Suicide Risk Among Transgender Veterans Utilizing Veterans Health Administration Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (10) ◽  
pp. e27-e32 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Blosnich ◽  
George R. Brown ◽  
Jillian C. Shipherd, PhD ◽  
Michael Kauth ◽  
Rebecca I. Piegari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Identity ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Gender Identity Disorder ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document