Medical Care Supplement Presents Research and Strategies for Measuring the Well-Being of the Whole Person in Healthcare

Research News

Medical Care Supplement Presents Research and Strategies for Measuring the Well-Being of the Whole Person in Healthcare

November 12, 2024

A new Medical Care supplement reports on HSR research surrounding well-being and Whole Person outcomes and measurement, as well as conclusions from an HSR State-of-the-Art (SOTA) conference on Whole Health about how, through measurement, healthcare systems can improve care delivery and patient health by addressing not only disease, but also what matters most to patients.

A growing awareness that Veterans' well-being depends on more than just the absence of disease or disease symptoms has led to a shift in VA from its traditional focus on improving disease outcomes to one in which the healthcare system aims to improve the health and well-being of Veterans, aligning these efforts with Veterans' priorities, preferences, and perceptions of what matters most.

The "Measuring What Matters Most" SOTA was attended by VA and non-VA experts, Veteran Service Organizations, and Veterans, along with their caregivers and families. Guest editors of the supplement were Barbara Bokhour, PhD, of HSR's Center for Healthcare Optimization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, Executive Director, VA Office of Patient Centered Care & Cultural Transformation, and Dawne Vogt, PhD, of VA's Women's Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD and HSR's CHOIR.