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"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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