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"Implementation Across the Nation: From Bedside and Clinic to Community and Home" was the theme of the 26th VA Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) National Meeting that was held February 13-15, 2008 in Baltimore, MD. Hosted by HSR&D's Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice (Iowa City), the meeting included 580 researchers, clinicians, and policymakers who participated in more than 30 paper sessions and workshop and viewed 120 posters on an array of veteran-related healthcare issues, as well as several exhibits. This national forum provided many opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and the development of strategies that will improve healthcare for veterans, including our new generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with particular healthcare needs.
The theme of the meeting was chosen to reflect two of the VHA Eight for Excellence strategies: 1) "Provide timely and appropriate access to health care by implementing best practices," and 2) "Focus research and development on clinical and system improvements designed to enhance the health and well-being of veterans." The theme also reflects the need to extend what we have learned about the dissemination of information and the implementation of new interventions in clinics and hospitals to a broader range of delivery settings and to new veteran populations. Other research presentations focused on diseases/conditions that are prevalent among veterans, such as: home-based monitoring to improve blood pressure control, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain management, racial differences in type 2 diabetes, traumatic brain injury in OEF/OIF veterans, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The meeting featured special guest speakers: Carole Estabrooks, RN, PhD, Professor of Nursing at the University of Alberta, who spoke about the state of implementation science, and Garth Stewart, a recent veteran injured in Iraq, who told attendees about his experiences with both DoD and VA healthcare. Carolyn Clancy, MD, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) gave the keynote address titled, "Quality at All Bedsides." Her talk focused on getting clinical research to the bedside quickly - the right care to the right patient at the right time. She also discussed some of AHRQ and VA's joint projects; for example, Partners in Patient Safety, Improvement Corps, which works to identify the root causes of adverse events.
In addition to these exciting speakers, Dr. David Atkins, the new director of VA/HSR&D's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), spoke about the importance of bringing research into day-to-day practice. Director of HSR&D, Dr. Seth Eisen also discussed the importance of implementation science, in addition to focusing on HSR&D research priorities that include VA/DoD collaborations, genomics, and health issues affecting veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), particularly the importance of pre-deployment data to understanding the etiology of conditions affecting these veterans. Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA's Chief Research and Development Officer, emphasized the importance of health services research in the field of genomics, as well as a new virtual informatics consortium that will allow even better use of VA's electronic medical record.
Dr. Kupersmith presented the 2008 Under Secretary's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research to David Asch, MD, MBA. This award recognizes a VA researcher whose work has led to major improvements in the quality of veterans' health care, has made key contributions to the future of HSR&D through excellence in training and mentorship, and has enhanced the visibility and reputation of VA research through national leadership. Dr. Asch is Co-Director of HSR&D's Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, whose mission is to reduce disparities and promote quality in health and health care among veterans and other populations.
Next year's HSR&D national meeting is planned for February, 2009 under the theme, "Defining Optimal Care: Balancing Quality, Cost and Patient Preferences."
Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA's Chief Research and Development Officer (l) and HSR&D Director Dr. Seth Eisen (r) congratulate Dr. David Asch on his receipt of the 2008 Under Secretary's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research. Margaret O'Shea Caplan, Associate Director of the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, accepted a share of the award for the facility.
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