Posted on Jan 21, 2016
Veterans' health care: doctors outside the VA need to know more about the veterans they treat
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RP Members I agree with the title and content - what are your thoughts?
Each year the military discharges over 240,000 veterans to reintegrate into civilian society. It’s a professional transition, but it’s also a personal one.
Veterans go from TRICARE, the Department of Defense’s own health care system, to navigating the ins and outs of the civilian health care system. Under TRICARE, military service members are cared for in a manner that meets their needs. When they’re discharged, their new health care providers might not know that they were ever in the military.
Asking “Have you served in the military?” may seem like a minor issue, but it’s actually much more important than you might think. And it’s a question that few doctors make a point of asking, even though many medical residents and medical students receive all or part of their clinical training at VA medical centers and hospitals.
Each year the military discharges over 240,000 veterans to reintegrate into civilian society. It’s a professional transition, but it’s also a personal one.
Veterans go from TRICARE, the Department of Defense’s own health care system, to navigating the ins and outs of the civilian health care system. Under TRICARE, military service members are cared for in a manner that meets their needs. When they’re discharged, their new health care providers might not know that they were ever in the military.
Asking “Have you served in the military?” may seem like a minor issue, but it’s actually much more important than you might think. And it’s a question that few doctors make a point of asking, even though many medical residents and medical students receive all or part of their clinical training at VA medical centers and hospitals.
Veterans' health care: doctors outside the VA need to know more about the veterans they treat
Posted from theconversation.com
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Knowledge
PTSD
TBI
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 4
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I don't know about thie way this article frames the issue. Of course, it's always better for doctors to know more about vets. But it comes across like the vet has no responsibility to inform their doctor about things that affect their care. Even if a doc asked me if I was a vet, and then asked where, and I said Ft Bragg, should I expect him to know that means I likely jumped out of airplanes and have bad knees? Or what MOS get exposed to what chemicals, etc.? And lots of vets don't have blast injuries or burns or other traumatic injuries.
So I think it's incubpmbent on each of us to take responsibility for our care and make sure we proactively keep our doctors informed.
So I think it's incubpmbent on each of us to take responsibility for our care and make sure we proactively keep our doctors informed.
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The Doctors involved in the Choice program are trained to ask which war as they each have there own ailments. Civilian doctors are enlightened but Nurse in Triage now ask that question in the acute arena. The Patient holds the responsibility of disclosure.
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