Research News
August 11, 2005
New QUERI Dedicated to Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries
As a result of the changing nature of modern warfare that includes new causes of injury, as well as improvements in body armor and surgical stabilization at the front-line of combat, more war-wounded are returning with complex, multiple injuries such as amputations, brain injuries, and psychological adjustment problems. Moreover, improvised explosive devices, blast (high pressure waves), landmines, and explosive fragments now account for the majority of combat injuries. Blast-related injuries are often "polytraumatic," meaning they result in injury and/or impairment to more than one body system or organ, and often require complex rehabilitation.
To help identify and implement evidence-based practices for the challenges to health and health care presented by modern warfare practices, HSR&D and the Rehabilitation Research & Development Service (RR&D) are co-sponsoring a new Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) Coordinating Center for the Implementation of Practices in Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries. This initiative also will focus on managing the transition of health care for veterans from the Department of Defense (DoD) to VA, and from facility-based to community-based care.
Officially beginning on October 1, 2005, the new Polytrauma and Blast-Related Injuries (PT-BRI) QUERI will be a collaborative endeavor involving four VA Polytrauma Lead Centers located in Minneapolis, MN, Tampa, FL, Palo Alto, CA, and Richmond, VA. The Research Coordinator for PT/BRI-QUERI is Nina Sayer, PhD (Minneapolis), and the co-Clinical Coordinators are Barbara Sigford, MD, PhD (Minneapolis), and Steven Scott, DO (Tampa). For more information about this new QUERI, please visit the QUERI web site in the fall at http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/queri/.