Cardiovascular Services Underused by Female Military Veterans: A Qualitative Case Study

• Main Author: Twum-Danso, Yvette M
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Health care management; Military studies; Nursing; Womens studies
• ISBN: 9798460473274

The problem is the underuse of cardiovascular services in a VA Health Care System by female military veterans with heart disease. The purpose of this qualitative, intrinsic case study was to better understand why most female military veterans diagnosed with heart disease underuse the cardiovascular services located within a southeast VA Health Care System. The research question was why do female military veterans with heart disease underuse the cardiovascular services located at a VA Health Care System in a southeast region? The research method was a qualitative, intrinsic case study among female military veterans. The sample size was nine participants and a thematic approach was used to analyze the findings. The findings from this study were consistent with the literature research as outlined in chapter 2. The first theme was appointment adherence with forgetfulness, lack of transportation, and unforeseen circumstances were identified as sub-themes. The second theme was utilization of VA with insufficient professionalism from schedulers and insufficient communication from providers was identified as subthemes. A key conclusion of this study identified none of the participants were diagnosed with heart disease; however, all participants had at least one co-morbidity that contributed to heart disease. A town hall meeting to capture female military veterans’ perceptions is an implication for VA leaders and practitioners.