Khanna Aishwarya, Dryden Eileen M, Bolton Rendelle E, Wu Juliet, Taylor Stephanie L, Clayman Marla L, Anwar Chitra, Kasom Danna, McGowan Michael, Mullur Rashmi S, Bokhour Barbara G, Hyde Justeen
US Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA.
Brandeis University, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, MA, USA.
Glob Adv Health Med. 2022 Nov 25;11:2164957X221142608. doi: 10.1177/2164957X221142608. eCollection 2022.
The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is undergoing a transformation in how healthcare is organized and provided. This transformation to a Whole Health System of Care encompasses the integration of complementary and integrative health services, education, and Whole Health coaching to develop Veterans' self-care skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these services were provided via telehealth (tele-WH).
We sought to understand Veteran and provider perspectives on how tele-WH impacts Veteran engagement in Whole Health-aligned services and the impact on their well-being.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 providers who delivered tele-WH at 10 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and 19 Veterans receiving tele-WH at 6 VAMCs. Participants were asked about their experiences with tele-WH, what they perceived to be the impact of tele-WH on Veterans, and their preferences moving forward. Interviews were transcribed, and a content analysis was performed using a rapid approach.
We identified 3 major themes that describe the perceived impact of tele-WH on Veterans. These include: (1) increased use of Whole Health-aligned services; (2) deeper engagement with Whole-Health aligned services; and (3) improvements in social, psychological, and physical well-being.
Tele-WH is perceived to be a strong complement to in-person services and is a promising mechanism for improving engagement with Whole Health-aligned services and promoting Veteran well-being. Future research is needed to measure outcomes identified in this study and to support more equitable access to telehealth for all.
退伍军人健康管理局（VA）正在经历医疗保健组织和提供方式的变革。向全健康照护系统的转变包括整合补充和综合健康服务、教育以及全健康指导，以培养退伍军人的自我照护技能。在新冠疫情期间，这些服务通过远程医疗（远程全健康）提供。
我们试图了解退伍军人和提供者对于远程全健康如何影响退伍军人参与全健康相关服务以及对其幸福感的影响的看法。
对在10个VA医疗中心提供远程全健康服务的51名提供者以及在6个VA医疗中心接受远程全健康服务的19名退伍军人进行了半结构化访谈。参与者被问及他们的远程全健康体验、他们认为远程全健康对退伍军人的影响以及他们未来的偏好。访谈进行了转录，并采用快速方法进行了内容分析。
我们确定了3个主要主题，描述了远程全健康对退伍军人的感知影响。这些主题包括：（1）增加使用全健康相关服务；（2）更深入参与全健康相关服务；（3）社会、心理和身体健康状况的改善。
远程全健康被认为是面对面服务的有力补充，并是一种有前景的机制，可提高对全健康相关服务的参与度并促进退伍军人的幸福感。需要未来的研究来衡量本研究中确定的结果，并支持所有人更公平地获得远程医疗服务。
