Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2013 Jul;28 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S591-7.
doi: 10.1007/s11606-012-2289-9.

VA location and structural factors associated with on-site availability of reproductive health services

Jodie Katon  1 , Gayle Reiber, Danielle Rose, Bevanne Bean-Mayberry, Laurie Zephyrin, Donna L Washington, Elizabeth M Yano
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

VA location and structural factors associated with on-site availability of reproductive health services

Jodie Katon et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2013 Jul.

Abstract

Introduction: With the increasing number of women Veterans enrolling in the Veterans Health Administration (VA), there is growing demand for reproductive health services. Little is known regarding the on-site availability of reproductive health services at VA and how this varies by site location and type.

Objective: To describe the on-site availability of hormonal contraception, intrauterine device (IUD) placement, infertility evaluation or treatment, and prenatal care by site location and type; the characteristics of sites providing these services; and to determine whether, within this context, site location and type is associated with on-site availability of these reproductive health services.

Methods: We used data from the 2007 Veterans Health Administration Survey of Women Veterans Health Programs and Practices, a national census of VA sites serving 300 or more women Veterans assessing practice structure and provision of care for women. Hierarchical models were used to test whether site location and type (metropolitan hospital-based clinic, non-metropolitan hospital-based clinic, metropolitan community-based outpatient clinic [CBOC]) were associated with availability of IUD placement and infertility evaluation/treatment. Non-metropolitan CBOCs were excluded from this analysis (n = 2).

Results: Of 193 sites, 182 (94 %) offered on-site hormonal contraception, 97 (50 %) offered on-site IUD placement, 57 (30 %) offered on-site infertility evaluation/treatment, and 11 (6 %) offered on-site prenatal care. After adjustment, compared with metropolitan hospital based-clinics, metropolitan CBOCs were less likely to offer on-site IUD placement (OR 0.33; 95 % CI 0.14, 0.74).

Conclusion: Compared with metropolitan hospital-based clinics, metropolitan CBOCs offer fewer specialized reproductive health services on-site. Additional research is needed regarding delivery of specialized reproductive health care services for women Veterans in CBOCs and clinics in non-metropolitan areas.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. World Health Organization Reproductive Health. http://www.who.int/topics/reproductive_health/en/. Accessed November 16, 2012.
    1. Washington DL, Caffrey C, Goldzweig C, Simon B, Yano EM. Availability of comprehensive women’s health care through Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Wom Health Issues. 2003;13(2):50–4. doi: 10.1016/S1049-3867(02)00195-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. VA health care for women: despite progress, improvements needed. Washington, D.C.1992.
    1. VA health care for women, progress made in providing services to women veterans. Washington, D.C.1999.
    1. Friedman SA, Phibbs CS, Schmitt SK, Hayes PM, Herrera L, Frayne SM. New women veterans in the VHA: a longitudinal profile. Wom Health Issues. 2011;21(4 Suppl):S103–11. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2011.04.025. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources