‘Where are all the women?’ Recognition and representation – UK female veterans’ experiences of support in civilian life
This report highlights the limited research and recognition of UK female veterans and their unique experiences and needs. With only 13.6% of the total veteran population being women, there is a lack of understanding about their post-service requirements and whether existing services cater to them. The UK government, through the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, has commissioned this qualitative research to explore the experiences of female veterans and improve the support offered to them. This report details findings on the impact of military service on physical and mental health, accessing support services, key civilian life issues, and public perceptions of UK female veterans.
Abstract: Context: In response to the opioid crisis, federal guidelines were implemented, including the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013. The impact of policies on patients near the end of life is unknown. Objective: Examine temporal trends in opioid prescribing, pain, and opioid overdoses among Veterans near the end of life. Methods: Retrospective, time series analysis of VA decedents between October 2009 and September 2018 whose next-of-kin participated in VA's Bereaved Family Survey (BFS). Using multivariate regression to adjust for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, we examined temporal trends in outpatient opioid prescribing, uncontrolled pain based on BFS report, and opioid overdose-related hospitalizations, in the last month of life, overall and by clinical diagnosis (cancer versus non-cancer). Results: Among 79,409 decedents, mean daily outpatient opioid dose in morphine milligram equivalents in the last month of life decreased from 4.6 mg in 2010 to 2.1 mg in 2018 (adjusted change -0.20 mg/year; P