Hull Amanda, Holliday Stephanie Brooks, Eickhoff Christine, Rose-Boyce Melane, Sullivan Patrick, Reinhard Matthew
Altern Ther Health Med. 2015 Nov-Dec;21(6):12-21.
A movement exists within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) toward incorporating complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as an integrative complement to care for veterans. The Integrative Health and Wellness (IHW) Program is a comprehensive CAM clinic offering services such as integrative restoration (iRest) yoga nidra, individual acupuncture, group auricular acupuncture, chair yoga, qigong, and integrative health education.
The current study intended to detail the development of the CAM program, its use, and the characteristics of the program's participants.
Using a prospective cohort design, this pilot study tracked service use and aspects of physical and mental health for veterans enrolled in the program.
During the first year, the IHW Program received 740 consults from hospital clinics; 325 veterans enrolled in the program; and 226 veterans consented to participate in the pilot study.
Outcome measures included data from self-report questionnaires and electronic medical records.
Veterans enrolled in the program reported clinically significant depression, stress, insomnia, and pain-related interference in daily activities and deficits in health-related quality of life. Regarding use of the program services, individual acupuncture showed the greatest participation by veterans, followed by group auricular acupuncture and iRest yoga nidra. Of the 226 veterans who enrolled in the program and consented to participate in this study, 165 (73.01%) participated in >1 services in the first year of programming. Broadly speaking, enrollment in services appeared to be associated with gender and service branch but not with age or symptom severity.
Results have assisted with a strategic planning process for the IHW Program and have implications for expansion of CAM services within the VHA.
退伍军人健康管理局（VHA）内部存在一种趋势，即将补充和替代医学（CAM）纳入对退伍军人护理的综合补充措施中。综合健康与养生（IHW）项目是一家综合性的补充和替代医学诊所，提供诸如综合恢复（iRest）瑜伽语音冥想、个体针灸、团体耳针疗法、椅子瑜伽、气功以及综合健康教育等服务。
本研究旨在详细阐述补充和替代医学项目的发展情况、其使用情况以及该项目参与者的特征。
采用前瞻性队列设计，这项试点研究跟踪了参与该项目的退伍军人的服务使用情况以及身心健康状况。
在第一年，IHW项目收到了来自医院诊所的740次咨询；325名退伍军人报名参加了该项目；226名退伍军人同意参与试点研究。
结果指标包括来自自我报告问卷和电子病历的数据。
参与该项目的退伍军人报告称，临床上存在明显的抑郁、压力、失眠以及与疼痛相关的日常活动干扰和健康相关生活质量缺陷。关于项目服务的使用情况，个体针灸的退伍军人参与度最高，其次是团体耳针疗法和iRest瑜伽语音冥想。在报名参加该项目并同意参与本研究的226名退伍军人中，165名（73.01%）在项目开展的第一年参与了不止一项服务。总体而言，服务报名似乎与性别和军种有关，但与年龄或症状严重程度无关。
研究结果有助于IHW项目的战略规划过程，并对VHA内部补充和替代医学服务的扩展具有启示意义。
