Differences In Cause Of Death Of Washington State Veterans Who Did And Did Not Use Department Of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Services

Main Category: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Also Included In: Veterans / Ex-Servicemen
Article Date: 14 Apr 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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We compared characteristics and causes of death in 62,080 Washington State veterans who did and did not use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services 5 years before death. We found that 20 percent of the veterans used VA services; they were more often male, younger, less educated, more often divorced, and more often smokers. We also found that both female and male veterans who used VA healthcare were more likely to die from alcohol- and/or drug-related causes.

VA medical centers provide a range of addiction treatment services not typically offered in other healthcare systems, which may partly explain the higher likelihood of death due to substance use disorders.

Our findings suggest that the VA patient population is socially disadvantaged and more severely affected by substance use disorders than veterans who do not use VA healthcare services.

This article can be found in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development Volume 43, Number 7, Page 825

About the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development (JRRD)

JRRD has been a leading research journal in the field of rehabilitation medicine and technology for more than 40 years. JRRD, a peer-reviewed, scientifically indexed journal, publishes original research papers, review articles, as well as clinical and technical commentary from U.S. and international researchers on all rehabilitation research disciplines. JRRD's mission is to responsibly evaluate and disseminate scientific research findings impacting the rehabilitative healthcare community.

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