Premium
Deployed Women Veterans: Important Culturally Sensitive Care
Author(s) -
Conard Patricia L.,
Armstrong Myrna L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/nuf.12142
Subject(s) - service member , health care , military service , medicine , military personnel , military medicine , culturally sensitive , reproductive health , nursing , psychology , psychiatry , gerontology , family medicine , political science , population , environmental health , social psychology , law
PROBLEM Today, with almost 23 million veterans in the nation, and currently only about 10 million, or less, of them seeking active services associated with the V eterans A dministration ( VA ) health facilities, these men and women veterans will be seeking some, more, or even all of their health care over their life time in civilian‐based facilities. METHODS Pertinent literary sources were reviewed to gather applicable data about the problem. FINDINGS Every patient that enters your health facility should be asked an essential assessment question: “Have you served in the military?” Importantly, to gain effective rapport when they present, civilian nurses will need to anticipate their health needs and provide culturally sensitive care. Specific issues of deployed women veterans are provided in a series of two articles. CONCLUSION This article provides a snapshot of the uniquely entrenched military culture, as well as women service member experiences in wartime, including the G lobal W ar on T error ( I raq and A fghanistan). The next article discusses the various healthcare differences (e.g., post‐traumatic stress disorder and military sexual trauma), difficulties (e.g., reproductive, gynecologic, urinary, employment, homelessness issues), and gender disparities (varied treatment patterns) so the civilian nurse can better advocate for women veterans.