Many Veterans benefit from advances in health care research that is often conducted in VA facilities. VA research is a large part of VA, with real implications toward Veterans’ health care. A great number of VA medical centers also have academic affiliations with colleges and universities that positively impact the quality of life for many Veterans.
Ongoing research at six VISN 6 facilities contributes to the development of new methods, policies and treatments nationwide. VA’s Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) was launched in 1998 to improve health care quality for Veterans by implementing research findings into routine clinical practice. According to QUERI Director David Atkins’ comments in the Association of American Medical Colleges, March 2011 Online “Reporter,” the relationship between research and putting it into practice, “has worked because we built successful relationships between researchers and our health care partners. We don’t just figure something out and hand it off. We have developed trust and flexibility on both sides, and we recognize that we are focused on the same problem.”
Most medical centers VISN 6 offer research services including Cooperative Studies with other VA medical centers; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Centers; Health Services Research & Development (HSR&D); Medical Research Service that supports basic and clinical investigations of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases common to our Veterans; Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for clinical assessment and treatment of post-deployment mental illness; Rehabilitation Research; and biomedical research.
Some notable ongoing investigations include, from more than 450 studies currently underway at Durham VAMC, research of methods for rehabilitation of stroke patients with memory problems; a study of home blood pressure monitoring through home telehealth; as well as research looking at Brain Injuries from Blast exposure; Schizophrenia, Alzheimers, and Multiple Sclerosis at Salisbury VAMC; hepatitis C, diabetes and lipid disorders, among more than 200 research studies at Richmond VAMC; Asheville VAMC adding VA Cooperative studies in pharmaceutical trials for “Bridging,” a therapy for anticoagulation treatment prior to surgery; an alternative to Insulin treatment for type II diabetes to its’ complement of research studies; and Hampton investigations into smoking cessation, prostate cancer, substance abuse and PTSD; plus studies of correlation varying testosterone in men with and without concomitant chronic disorders, racial and cardiovascular paradoxes in kidney disease, and assess¬ment of interpersonal functioning in PTSD at Salem VAMC.
Veterans considering participating should ask about possible risks and benefits, as well as side effects and other factors that may affect their quality of life. Educational materials for Veterans who may be asked to participate in a VA research study are available at www.research.va.gov.
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