Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Geographic variation in poststroke depression among veterans with acute stroke.

Jia H, Ried LD, Wang X, Damush TM, Young LJ, Cameon RH, Williams LS. Geographic variation in poststroke depression among veterans with acute stroke. Journal of rehabilitation research and development. 2008 Jan 1; 45(7):1027-35.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

This study compared patterns of poststroke depression (PSD) detection among veterans with acute stroke in eight U.S. geographic regions. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical and pharmacy data as well as Medicare data were used. International Classification of Diseases-9th Revision depression codes and antidepressant medication dispensing were applied to define patients'' PSD status 12 months poststroke. Logistic regression models were fit to compare VA PSD diagnosis and overall PSD detection between the regions. The use of VA medical data alone may underestimate the rate of PSD. Geographic variation in PSD detection depended on the data used. If VA medical data alone were used, we found no significant variation. If VA medical data were used along with Medicare and VA pharmacy data, we observed a significant variation in overall PSD detection across the regions after adjusting for potential risk factors. VA clinicians and policy makers need to consider enrollees'' use of services outside the system when conducting program evaluation. Future research on PSD among veteran patients should use VA medical data in combination with Medicare and VA pharmacy data to obtain a comprehensive understanding of patients'' PSD.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.