Complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches such as acupuncture, mindfulness meditation, and yoga are important safe, non-pharmacologic options to improve health with few side effects. The VA Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) reports the evidence on some CIH as "promising" for certain health conditions highly prevalent among Veterans. Provision of evidence-based CIH approaches is a national priority for the VA and is part of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). Also, there is evidence of unmet Veteran demand for CIH, which is reportedly provided in most VA medical facilities, but usually in very limited capacity due to significant implementation barriers. As such, the Complementary and Integrative Health Evaluation Center (CIHEC) focuses on examining both the implementation of and evidence for complementary and integrative health approaches.
CIHEC's overarching goal is to improve Veterans' health and experiences of care, through increased availability and use of evidence-based CIH approaches. Specific evaluation aims are to:
CIHEC investigators are conducting four projects:
The key partner is VA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation (OPCC&CT). VA recently established the Integrative Health Coordinating Center (IHCC) within OPCC&CT to aid in the development and implementation of CIH approaches in clinical activities, education, and research across the system. As such, OPCC&CT's implementation goals directly address many VA national priorities. The secondary partners for two projects are the VA's Office of Analytics and Business Intelligence (OABI) and VA's National Pain Management Program (NPMP).
Principal Investigator: Stephanie L. Taylor, PhD (LA), contact at Stephanie.Taylor8@va.gov; Co-PI: Steven Zeliadt, PhD, MPH, contact at Steven.Zeliadt@va.gov .