TY - JOUR
T1 - Women Veterans' Reproductive Health Preferences and Experiences
T2 - A Focus Group Analysis
AU - Mattocks, Kristin M.
AU - Nikolajski, Cara
AU - Haskell, Sally
AU - Brandt, Cynthia
AU - McCall-Hosenfeld, Jennifer
AU - Yano, Elizabeth
AU - Pham, Tan
AU - Borrero, Sonya
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Kristin Mattocks had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Cara Nikolajski is a research coordinator for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Medicine. She has extensive experience facilitating and analyzing focus groups and interviews for numerous research studies. Sally Haskell is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Yale University School of Medicine. She is the Acting Director of Comprehensive Women's Health for the Women Veterans Health Strategic Healthcare Group in VA Central Office and a co-principal investigator of the VA HSR and D funded Women Veterans Cohort Study. She has published numerous papers on women Veteran's health issues. Cynthia Brandt is an Associate Professor at Yale School of Medicine and investigator at VA Connecticut Healthcare System whose research focuses on informatics and health services research. Jennifer McCall-Hosenfeld is a general internist and BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Skills in Women's Health) Scholar (5 K12 HD05582-03). Her research explores women trauma survivors in primary care. Her previous experience includes a Special Fellowship in the Health Issues of Women Veterans. Elizabeth Yano is Co-Director and a Research Career Scientist at the VA Greater Los Angeles HSR&D Center of Excellence and Adjunct Professor of Health Services at the UCLA School of Public Health. Her work focuses organizational influences on quality. Tan Pham is a research associate for the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and the Yale University's Department of Internal Medicine. Sonya Borrero is an investigator at the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System), and the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine. She has conducted numerous qualitative and quantitative studies focusing on disparities in reproductive health care.
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Objective: Although women veterans are seeking care at the Veterans Administration (VA) in record numbers, there is little information regarding women veterans' experiences and preferences for reproductive health care services. We sought to characterize women veterans' experiences with, and preferences for, reproductive health services in the VA. Methods: We conducted five focus groups with a total of 25 participants using a semistructured interview guide to elicit women veterans' experiences and preferences with reproductive health care. Women veterans' utilizing VA health care at two VA facilities who responded to advertisements were selected on a first-come basis to participate in the study. We analyzed transcripts of these audiorecorded sessions using the constant comparative method of grounded theory. Results: Five main themes emerged from the focus group discussions: 1) Women veterans prefer VA women's clinics for comprehensive medical care; 2) Women veterans have had both positive and negative reproductive health experiences in the VA; 3) Women veterans experience knowledge gaps regarding VA coverage for reproductive health services; 4) Women veterans believe the VA should provide additional coverage for advanced infertility care and for newborns; and 5) Perceived gender discrimination shapes how women veterans view the VA. Conclusion: As the VA continues to tailor its services to women veterans, attention should be given to women's reproductive health care needs.
AB - Objective: Although women veterans are seeking care at the Veterans Administration (VA) in record numbers, there is little information regarding women veterans' experiences and preferences for reproductive health care services. We sought to characterize women veterans' experiences with, and preferences for, reproductive health services in the VA. Methods: We conducted five focus groups with a total of 25 participants using a semistructured interview guide to elicit women veterans' experiences and preferences with reproductive health care. Women veterans' utilizing VA health care at two VA facilities who responded to advertisements were selected on a first-come basis to participate in the study. We analyzed transcripts of these audiorecorded sessions using the constant comparative method of grounded theory. Results: Five main themes emerged from the focus group discussions: 1) Women veterans prefer VA women's clinics for comprehensive medical care; 2) Women veterans have had both positive and negative reproductive health experiences in the VA; 3) Women veterans experience knowledge gaps regarding VA coverage for reproductive health services; 4) Women veterans believe the VA should provide additional coverage for advanced infertility care and for newborns; and 5) Perceived gender discrimination shapes how women veterans view the VA. Conclusion: As the VA continues to tailor its services to women veterans, attention should be given to women's reproductive health care needs.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.whi.2010.11.002
DO - 10.1016/j.whi.2010.11.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 21353978
AN - SCOPUS:79951974379
SN - 1049-3867
VL - 21
SP - 124
EP - 129
JO - Women's Health Issues
JF - Women's Health Issues
IS - 2
ER -
