Abstract
The Veterans Health Administration is exploring ways to reform the current Veterans Affairs (VA) system in accordance with the changing health care environment of managed care. One proposal is for the VA to enlarge its patient base by expanding eligibility to include spouses of veterans. To compare reported preventive health care services received by male veterans and their spouses and to measure whether spouses would choose to receive their medical care through a VA medical center, we randomly selected 230 married male veterans and mailed self-administered questionnaires to be completed by them and their spouses; 170 (74%) eligible subjects completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the veterans and spouses was 73.6 and 67.4 years, respectively. Veterans reported significantly higher rates of receipt of recommended preventive services than their spouses in all 5 areas assessed, including blood pressure measurement; influenza, pneumococcal, and tetanus vaccinations; and serum cholesterol measurement. Veterans were significantly more satisfied than their spouses with their current health care. Finally, 83% (95% confidence interval, 77% to 89%) of spouses reported that they would choose to receive their medical care at the VA medical center if allowed to do so. These findings suggest that spouses of male veterans represent a sizable group that could be incorporated into the VA system, especially given their strong desire to do so.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 499-503 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Western Journal of Medicine |
| Volume | 168 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - Jul 8 1998 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
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Preventive health services and access to care for male veterans compared with their spouses. / Jain, Sharad; Avins, Andrew L.; Mendelson, Terrie.
In: Western Journal of Medicine, Vol. 168, No. 6, 08.07.1998, p. 499-503.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Preventive health services and access to care for male veterans compared with their spouses
AU - Jain, Sharad
AU - Avins, Andrew L.
AU - Mendelson, Terrie
PY - 1998/7/8
Y1 - 1998/7/8
N2 - The Veterans Health Administration is exploring ways to reform the current Veterans Affairs (VA) system in accordance with the changing health care environment of managed care. One proposal is for the VA to enlarge its patient base by expanding eligibility to include spouses of veterans. To compare reported preventive health care services received by male veterans and their spouses and to measure whether spouses would choose to receive their medical care through a VA medical center, we randomly selected 230 married male veterans and mailed self-administered questionnaires to be completed by them and their spouses; 170 (74%) eligible subjects completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the veterans and spouses was 73.6 and 67.4 years, respectively. Veterans reported significantly higher rates of receipt of recommended preventive services than their spouses in all 5 areas assessed, including blood pressure measurement; influenza, pneumococcal, and tetanus vaccinations; and serum cholesterol measurement. Veterans were significantly more satisfied than their spouses with their current health care. Finally, 83% (95% confidence interval, 77% to 89%) of spouses reported that they would choose to receive their medical care at the VA medical center if allowed to do so. These findings suggest that spouses of male veterans represent a sizable group that could be incorporated into the VA system, especially given their strong desire to do so.
AB - The Veterans Health Administration is exploring ways to reform the current Veterans Affairs (VA) system in accordance with the changing health care environment of managed care. One proposal is for the VA to enlarge its patient base by expanding eligibility to include spouses of veterans. To compare reported preventive health care services received by male veterans and their spouses and to measure whether spouses would choose to receive their medical care through a VA medical center, we randomly selected 230 married male veterans and mailed self-administered questionnaires to be completed by them and their spouses; 170 (74%) eligible subjects completed the questionnaire. The mean age of the veterans and spouses was 73.6 and 67.4 years, respectively. Veterans reported significantly higher rates of receipt of recommended preventive services than their spouses in all 5 areas assessed, including blood pressure measurement; influenza, pneumococcal, and tetanus vaccinations; and serum cholesterol measurement. Veterans were significantly more satisfied than their spouses with their current health care. Finally, 83% (95% confidence interval, 77% to 89%) of spouses reported that they would choose to receive their medical care at the VA medical center if allowed to do so. These findings suggest that spouses of male veterans represent a sizable group that could be incorporated into the VA system, especially given their strong desire to do so.
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M3 - Article
VL - 168
SP - 499
EP - 503
JO - Western Journal of Medicine
JF - Western Journal of Medicine
SN - 0093-0415
IS - 6
ER -