title: Deployed Women Veterans: Important Culturally Sensitive Care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Today, with almost 23 million veterans in the nation, and currently only about 10 million, or less, of them seeking active services associated with the Veterans Administration (VA) health facilities, these men and women veterans will be seeking some, more, or even all of their health care over their life time in civilian-based facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pertinent literary sources were reviewed to gather applicable data about the problem.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Every patient that enters your health facility should be asked an essential assessment question: "Have you served in the military?" Importantly, to gain effective rapport when they present, civilian nurses will need to anticipate their health needs and provide culturally sensitive care. Specific issues of deployed women veterans are provided in a series of two articles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article provides a snapshot of the uniquely entrenched military culture, as well as women service member experiences in wartime, including the Global War on Terror (Iraq and Afghanistan). The next article discusses the various healthcare differences (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma), difficulties (e.g., reproductive, gynecologic, urinary, employment, homelessness issues), and gender disparities (varied treatment patterns) so the civilian nurse can better advocate for women veterans.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Consultant, Van Buren, AR.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Conard
authors.affiliation: Nursing Consultant and Professor Emerita, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Marble Falls, TX.
authors.forename: Myrna L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D065246:Culturally Competent Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Afghanistan; Global War on Terror; Gulf War I; Iraq; PTSD; Vietnam; cultural-sensitive care; women veteran