Definitions Definitions relevant to this study include: • Gender Differences – the differences that exist between men and women regarding VA health services use • Inpatient – a patient formally admitted to a VAMC with a doctor’s order • Non-user – a veteran with a no inpatient admission at a VAMC • Retrospective Cohort Study – a research study, also known as a historic cohort, that uses medical records of groups of individuals who are similar but different by a certain characteristic (for example, veterans with AKI who are male or female) are compared to a particular outcome (such as health service use). • User – a veteran with a minimum of one inpatient admission at a VAMC • Utilization – defined as the inpatient services and treatment given …show more content…
My proposed research will add to this existing literature by providing information by gender on a narrow-focused clinical case definition, e.g., inpatient services utilization and acute kidney injury using a National VA sample. My proposed study is significant because, in it, I will attempt to identify gender disparities in health services use and short-term outcomes for a particular clinical condition. Examining gender disparities in health services use and outcomes can uncover who access care; the type of services used; at what frequency, and under what circumstances (Barton, 2010). This study will potentially contribute to positive social change by identifying gender disparities in health services use and also in patient care and access. The findings from this study can increase VA administrators and policymakers' knowledge of the significance of gender in VA health services use. This information can assist the VA administrators and policymakers to develop and implement policies, procedures, or universal standards of care across the VA hospitals nationally. The policies, procedures, or universal standards created can promote and provide equal access to health care services thus, leading to healthier outcomes and overall quality of life …show more content…
This chapter also provided the significance of kidney disease in the veteran population. Gender-related studies on some kidney disease (e.g., CKD and ESRD) in veterans exist, but these studies do not include AKI (Hsu, 2010). AKI is important because it leads to poor patient outcomes if it is not identified early or adequately treated (Lewington, Cerdá, & Mehta, 2013). VA researchers studying AKI have focused on these outcomes but have not explored how health services use differs by gender in veterans with AKI (Bydash & Ishani, 2011; Lafrance & Miller, 2010). This study is designed to focus on this research
In today’s society, veterans health care system is troubling to those aware of the problem in the outside world. Veterans are people that have sacrificed so much for the United States, yet receive very little in regards to their health and well-being, which poses a great problem. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is very vocal about the lack of health care options for veterans and is actively trying to make reforms and provide solutions to these problems. The Department of Veterans Affairs "strives to ensure that you have access to all of your needed services wherever you receive your VA health care” (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). They also claim that our veterans deserve the best care possible (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). While all seems well, there are still a large percentage of veterans that get denied veteran services. The goal of this study is to pinpoint the disparities among veteran health care, shine a light on the issues to increase awareness within the community, and then attempt to create solutions for these problems. This can
In the past few years there has been increasing discussion about how to provide adequate care for the increasing number of veterasn who are eligible for care through the Veterans’ healthcare administration (VHA). There are concerns is that the VHA is not providing the level of access, efficiency, and quality of care that veterans expect. Lee & Begley, (2016) suggest access to care for the veteran population may be resulting in poor health outcomes. In response to these concerns, the Veterans ' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act (VACAA) of 2014, also known as the Veterans Choice Act, was created to improve Veterans’ healthcare. The VACAA proposed to do this by expanding the number of options veterans have for receiving healthcare, by providing access for healthcare at non-VA care centers as well as providing for an increase in staffing at VA facilities (U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016).
a whole. We will then determine surveyors’ perception of veterans’ access to care, knowledge of benefits available to them, equity of care received, and differences in care among veterans in separate socioeconomic and living areas. Also, a Likert-scale will be used to determine the extent of each individual’s belief about how Veteran’s health care is working. Lastly, there is a section for free response that encourages participants to explain their opinions and anything they may have experienced to influence said opinions.
Barriers to healthcare include factors that restrict or hinder people from receiving adequate and quality health care service. Health care disparities are those differences that negatively affects less advantaged group (Mehta, 2014). Health care barriers play a significant role in comprehending causes of disparities. This paper will discuss the obstacles and disparities that exist and affects healthcare.
The Veterans Health Administration is home to the United States’ largest integrated health care system consisting of 150 medical centers, nearly 1,400 community-based outpatient clinics, community living centers, Vet Centers and Domiciliary. Together these health care facilities and the more than 53,000 independent licensed health care practitioners who work within them provide comprehensive care to more than 8.3 million Veterans each year. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of the medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision
Although the United States is a leader in healthcare innovation and spends more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, not all people in the United State benefit equally from this progress as a health care disparity exists between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Health care disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantage…adversely affecting groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or clean environment based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities [NPAEHD], 2011, p. 3). Overwhelming evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive inferior quality health care compared to white Americans, and multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including geography, lack of access to adequate health coverage, communication difficulties between patients and providers, cultural barriers, and lack of access to providers (American College of Physicians,
Current funding for veteran healthcare care is low and insufficient because of the large number of veterans, who are being discharged from the military as the country transitions to a democratic President. According to Dr. Rachel Nardin in her article about veteran healthcare, “Soldiers get excellent acute care when injured on active duty, but as revelations of poor conditions for soldiers receiving ongoing outpatient care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center highlighted, service members often have trouble getting the care they need once active duty ends” (Nardin 1)
In today’s society, there is still a great struggle with health care disparities and many lives are affected by the lack of this fundamental program in our society. There are millions of people who die each year because they are unable to afford quality healthcare. The debate still continues about healthcare inequalities, what causes this disparity and who are affected by it. Health care is more of a necessity rather than a luxury and even though skeptics may argue to the latter, it only underlines the importance of the need for the wellbeing and care of individuals. There are several factors that could contribute to the lack of health care in the United States which ranges from but not limited to race, gender, socio- economic status, and lack of insurance coverage. The truth is there is a great disproportion between who can really afford quality healthcare as appose to individuals who have it. One would imagine that an employed individual would easily afford quality healthcare but we could be no further from the truth, since one’s economic status is an essential determinant to its affordability.
These rural veterans face numerous barriers in quest for access to health care, including: long travel distances to VA hospitals, limited provider choice, lack of specialty services, and inadequate provider supply. Rural veterans and non-veterans will benefit from this bill if they are allowed to receive treatment from delivery systems that allow nurse practitioners to practice with full authority
The U.S. healthcare has been dealing with disparities for centuries. These disparities can be racial, social, or economical. The disparities are easier to see when compared to other reference points, such as policies, procedure or protocol. Williams & Torrens, 2008 list several disparities when it comes to patient care, such as minorities are less likely to get diagnosed with cancer verses whites, patients with lower socioeconomic statuses are less likely to received diabetic services, and many more. In order to eliminate some there disparities it must first be recognized by others that it is a serious problem. These problems have been around for years; therefore the public must put pressure on the policymakers to promote change. In order
A key factor affecting access to care is economic inequality. Many racial/ethnic groups are considered to be of low socioeconomic status in the United States. When one has to worry about food and housing, health is not considered a priority. Lack of health insurance is a huge problem that many people face. The inequalities in income means less money can be put towards doctor’s visits and medications. Research done by Shi, LeBrun, Zhu, and Tsai (2011) shows
51 percent of the United States is female but only 34.4 percent of doctors are women. While 90.4 percent of nurses are female (“Women in Medicine”; “Male Nurses Becoming”), the women who do become doctors earn an astounding 25 percent less than their male counterparts (Groves). These staggering figures are only a single piece in the larger overall lack of women in STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which has remained prevalent since the beginning of these fields. Although women are underrepresented in these STEM fields, this is not due to ineptitude, but instead it is a result of the force of societal stereotypes coupled with their wider range of abilities. The recent increase in women’s association with STEM seems
Raising Women’s Voices (RWV) New York, a national initiative working to ensure that the health care needs of women, are addressed as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is implemented, decided to conduct research to determine if Qualified Health Plans (QHP’s) sold on the New York State of Health Marketplace were providing women with adequate access to healthcare providers. After assessing our initial findings, we felt that it was important to create a toolkit to assist other health care advocates in conducting network adequacy research to improve conditions in their respective states. In this toolkit, you will learn about network adequacy, why it matters to women, examples of research projects conducted by other organizations, what you can do to shed light on this issue.
The accessible population is the elderly veterans admitted to any VA hospital for CAP during the fiscal year of 2003 (Li et al., 2015). The inclusion sampling criteria are stated in the article within the defined target population. The exclusion sampling criteria are specified as “transfers from another hospital, skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, or another healthcare facility” (Li et al., 2015, p. 288). Both the inclusion and exclusion sampling criteria are appropriate for this study because the inclusion helps keep the study focused on VA hospital data and the exclusion helps the study
Changes in access to health care across different populations are the chief reason for current disparities in health care provision. These changes occur for several reasons, and some of the main factors that contribute to the problem in the United States are: Lack of health insurance – Several racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other minority groups lack adequate health insurance coverage in comparison with people who can afford healthcare insurance. The majority of these individuals are likely to put off health care or go without the necessary healthcare and medication that is needed. Lack of financial resources – Lack of accessibility to funding is a barrier to health care for a lot of people living in the United States