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Highlights of the 2008 HSR&D National Meeting

"Implementation Across the Nation: From Bedside and Clinic to Community and Home" was the theme of the 26th VA 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 workshops, and viewed 120 posters on an array of veteran-related health care issues, as well as several exhibits. This national forum provided many opportunities for discussion, collaboration, and the development of strategies that will improve health care for veterans, including our new generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The theme 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, and interventions, including: 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 OIF/OEF veterans, and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The meeting featured special guest speakers: Carole Estabrooks, R.N., Ph.D., 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 health care. Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) gave the keynote address, "Quality at All Bedsides." Her comments focused on getting clinical research to the bedside quickly--providing the right care to the right patient at the right time. She also discussed AHRQ and VA's joint projects, including Partners in Patient Safety Improvement Corps, which works to identify the root causes of adverse events.

David Atkins, M.D., M.P.H., the new director of VA HSR&D's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), addressed the importance of bringing research into dayto- day practice. Director of HSR&D, Seth Eisen, M.D., M.Sc., 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, particularly the importance of pre-deployment data to understanding the etiology of conditions affecting these veterans. Joel Kupersmith, M.D., 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.

Next year's HSR&D national meeting is planned for February 2009 under the theme, "Defining Optimal Care: Balancing Quality, Cost and Patient Preferences." A call for abstracts will be disseminated this summer. Watch the HSR&D website for dates and details.


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