Exploring Veterans' Experiences Accessing Chronic Pain Treatment in the VA Community Care Network.

BACKGROUND

Chronic pain is common among Veterans, and rural Veterans commonly struggle obtaining chronic pain care due to large travel distances to the nearest Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center. In 2019, the VA established the Community Care Network (CCN) to provide Veterans access to care in community-based settings, including chronic pain management.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the experiences of rural Veterans receiving chronic pain treatment in the VA CCN, including their perceptions about perceived barriers, facilitators, and benefits to accessing comprehensive chronic pain management.

DESIGN

Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.

PARTICIPANTS

Ten rural Veterans receiving chronic pain management in the VA CCN took part in a qualitative interview focused on their experiences accessing and utilizing the VA CCN.

APPROACH

A descriptive qualitative approach was used. Major themes were identified through thematic content analysis.

KEY RESULTS

Veterans described challenges navigating the approval process, finding approved CCN providers for pain management, and they perceived that communication between the VA and community providers was not seamless. Once enrolled in the CCN, however, Veterans valued the freedom to choose providers specializing in pain management within their local communities, timely access to appointments, and opportunities to explore a wider range of pain treatment options and alternative therapies, in addition to traditional medical interventions, all in their local community.

CONCLUSIONS

As the CCN seeks to improve collaboration between VA and community providers, recognition of Veterans' experiences could serve to drive the development of network improvements. Findings reported here suggest that Veterans preferred obtaining care in the CCN once they could navigate administrative complexity to access it. Thus, efforts to streamline VA administrative requirements for initiating CCN care would better support Veterans in meeting their needs in this context.