Listening to the Patient: Women Veterans' Insights About Health Care Needs, Access, and Quality in Rural Areas.
Many work to ensure that women veterans receive appropriate and timely health care, yet the needs of those living in rural areas are often ignored. This is a critical oversight given the multitude of reports documenting rural access problems and health disparities. Lacking this, we are unable to plan for and evaluate appropriate care for this specific group. In this project, we spoke with rural women veterans to document service needs and quality of care from their perspective.



Rural women veterans' views about health care access and quality were ascertained in a series of five, semistructured focus groups (n = 35) and completion of a demographic questionnaire. Content analysis documented focus-group themes.



Participants said that local dental, mental health, and gender-specific care options were needed, as well as alternative healing options. Community-based support for women veterans and interaction with female peers were absent. Participants' support for telehealth was mixed, as were requests for gender-specific care. Personal experiences in the military impacted participants' current service utilization.



Action by both Veterans Affairs and the local community is vital to improving the health of women veterans. Service planning should consider additional Veterans Affairs contracts, mobile health vans, peer support, and enhanced outreach.
Department of Community and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 13001 East 17th Place, Building 500, Room E3352, Mail Stop B119, Aurora, CO 80045.
Elizabeth
E
Brooks
Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Western Region, Veterans Administration Salt Lake City Health Care System, 500 Foothill Boulevard (182), Salt Lake City, UT 84148.
Nancy K
NK
Dailey
Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Western Region, Veterans Administration Salt Lake City Health Care System, 500 Foothill Boulevard (182), Salt Lake City, UT 84148.
Byron D
BD
Bair
Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Western Region, Veterans Administration Salt Lake City Health Care System, 500 Foothill Boulevard (182), Salt Lake City, UT 84148.
Jay H
JH
Shore
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D012424:Rural Population / Q000639:trends*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014195:Travel / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000458:organization & administration; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*