The health of women veterans has been historically underrepresented as a topic in academic research. Considering women are the fast-growing subpopulation among veterans in the United States, an expanded scope of research on patient-centered care for women veterans will be crucial as their population continues to grow.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open has found an upward trend in published scholarship relating to women veterans’ health in recent years. However, the study also identified several important gaps that exist in this field of research.
Through searching articles published in MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases, the study authors identified 932 articles published between 2016 and 2013 that related to patient care and health outcomes for women veterans in the United States. This volume of health literature is double that of the prior eight years.
Over half of all studies analyzed addressed mental health in some way and over one third mentioned medical conditions. The largest portion of health scholarship regarding women veterans was focused on general mental health (22 percent), chronic medical conditions (15 percent), and interpersonal violence (13 percent). Across the study period, the areas that had the greatest growth as a topic of research on the health of women veterans included reproductive health, pain, suicide, and non-suicidal self-injury. Furthermore, recent research has started to explore military-related toxic exposures and harassment within healthcare settings.
The authors highlight that the recently expanded evidence map on healthcare for women veterans will enable physicians in all women’s health clinical settings to provide the necessary care for this population. Despite this progress, the researchers believe more scholarship is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of women veterans’ healthcare programs, as well as determine best practices for an aging population.
The study was led by scholars at Duke University and included authors from the University of California, San Francisco, Vanderbilt University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and scientists from several hospitals and veterans affairs organizations across the country.