Patterns and Experiences of VA Maternity Care Coordination for Women Veterans

描述（由申请人提供）： 摘要在过去的十年中，使用VHA护理的女性退伍军人人数几乎翻了一番。这些女性退伍军人中有很大一部分处于生育年龄，超过90%的持久自由行动（OEF），伊拉克自由行动（OIF）和新黎明行动（OND）女性退伍军人年龄在45岁或以下。最近的证据表明，使用VHA产妇福利分娩的女性退伍军人人数在过去五年中几乎翻了一番，然而，关于这些妇女如何获得和利用产妇护理的信息很少。这些怀孕的退伍军人可能会面临孕产妇和儿童健康状况不佳的风险，因为他们在怀孕期间可能会遇到复杂的医疗和心理健康问题。因此，协调产妇护理与正在进行的VHA护理怀孕退伍军人是至关重要的。本研究的直接目标是告知相当大的辩论的最佳方式来协调产妇护理退伍军人的特点产妇护理协调VA设施。这项工作的长期目标是通过不断设计、评价和改善产妇护理的提供和协调，促进对女退伍军人的高质量产妇护理。该项目是VHA首次尝试系统地检查怀孕退伍军人的产妇护理协调。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract Over the past decade, the number of women Veterans using VHA care has nearly doubled. A substantial proportion of these women Veterans are of reproductive age, with over 90% of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) women Veterans age 45 or less. Recent evidence suggests the number of women Veterans delivering babies using VHA maternity benefits has nearly doubled in the past five years, and yet little information exists regarding how these women access and utilize maternity care. These pregnant Veterans may be at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes as a result of complex medical and mental health problems they may be experiencing during their pregnancies. Therefore, coordinating maternity care with ongoing VHA care for pregnant Veterans is crucial. The immediate objective of this study is to inform the considerable debate about the best ways to coordinate maternity care for women veterans by characterizing maternity care coordination across VA facilities. The long-term objective of this work is to promote high-quality maternity care for women veterans through ongoing design, evaluation, and improvement of maternity care delivery and coordination. This project represents the first attempt in the VHA to systematically examine maternity care coordination for pregnant Veterans.