Cost analysis examining the excess healthcare costs among Veterans who had a non-fatal firearm injury between 2010 and 2019.

Objective: Veterans are disproportionately affected by firearm injury (FAI). Beyond the human toll of FAIs, they also strain healthcare systems. This study examined excess costs from FAIs incurred by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System among a cohort of VA-using Veterans.

Survey of Firearm Storage Practices and Preferences Among Parents and Caregivers of Children.

Introduction: The American College of Emergency Physicians supports community- and hospital-based programs that intervene to prevent firearm-related injury. To this end, the distribution of firearm locks or storage devices in the emergency department (ED) may help achieve this target. To inform secure firearm storage programs for households with children and firearms, we examined firearm storage practices, device preferences, and cost tolerance among parents/caregivers of children.

Lifetime Psychotropic Medication Use Among Service Members and Veterans With and Without History of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Military Service Members, Veterans, and other patient populations who experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) may have increased risk of early neurodegenerative diseases relative to those without TBI history. Some evidence suggests that exposure to psychotropic medications may play a role in this association. The Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC) prospective longitudinal study provides an ideal setting to examine the effects of psychotropic medication exposure on long-term neurological health of those with and without mild TBI history.

Associations Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Severity of Tinnitus-Related Functional Impairment Among US Military Veterans: A National, Population-Based Study.

Objective: To describe associations between a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the severity of tinnitus-related functional impairment among a national, stratified random sample of veterans diagnosed with tinnitus by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system.

Setting: A multimodal (mailed and internet) survey administered in 2018. Participants: VA healthcare-using veterans diagnosed with tinnitus; veterans with comorbid TBI diagnosis were oversampled.

Receipt of Concurrent VA and Non-VA Opioid and Sedative-Hypnotic Prescriptions Among Post-9/11 Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: Receipt of concurrent psychotropic prescription medications from both US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA healthcare providers may increase risk of adverse opioid-related outcomes among veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Little is known about patterns of dual-system opioid or sedative-hypnotic prescription receipt in this population. We estimated the prevalence and patterns of, and risk factors for, VA/non-VA prescription overlap among post-9/11 veterans with TBI receiving opioids from VA providers in Oregon.

Opioid and Sedative-Hypnotic Prescriptions Among Post-9/11 Veteran VA Users Nationwide With Traumatic Brain Injury, 2012-2020.

Objective: Many post-9/11 Veterans have received Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Pain conditions are prevalent among these patients and are often managed with opioid analgesics. Opioids may impose unique risks to Veterans with a history of TBI, especially when combined with other psychotropic medications.

Getting Babies Safely Home: A Retrospective Chart Review of Car Safety Seat Tolerance Screening Outcomes.

Background: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pre-discharge Car Seat Tolerance Screening (CSTS) for all neonates born <37 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA), or otherwise at risk for cardiorespiratory compromise. Screening is burdensome and there remains tremendous variation in testing criteria and methodology.

Design/methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 1,072 infants who underwent CSTS between 11/2013 and 7/2016 at a single academic health center.

Mental Health Symptoms Among Veteran VA Users by Tinnitus Severity:A Population-based Survey.

Introduction: Tinnitus is prevalent among Service members and Veterans and is often comorbid with mental health disorders. Associations between the severity of individuals' tinnitus and mental health symptoms are not well described.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a population-based survey of a stratified random sample of 1,800 Veterans diagnosed with tinnitus.

Factors Related to Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Queries for Veterans Receiving Long-Term Opioid Therapy.

Objective: State prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) identify controlled medications dispensed across providers and systems. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy requires electronic health record documentation of PDMP queries at least annually for VA patients receiving controlled medications; however, queries are not uniformly conducted. We examined factors associated with PDMP queries for veterans receiving long-term opioid therapy.

Health Care Utilization and Mental Health Diagnoses Among Veterans With Tinnitus.

Purpose Tinnitus is prevalent among military Veterans and may frequently co-occur with mental health disorders. This study examined health care utilization and mental health diagnoses among Veterans with and without tinnitus who receive Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care. Method We randomly sampled 10% of VA health care users for a 5-year period between 2011 and 2016.

Supported Employment for Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury: Patient Perspectives.

Objectives: To quantify the need for, and interest in, supported employment (SE) among recent military veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI); and to examine characteristics associated with veterans' interest in SE.

Design: Stratified random sample of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans confirmed to have TBI through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) screening and evaluation system.

Setting: Community-based via mailed survey.

Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat Use for Children 18 Months of Age: Prevalence and Determinants.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and potential determinants of rear-facing car safety seat use among children approximately 18 months of age born at a university hospital.

Study Design: We administered a telephone survey to caregivers of children 17-19 months of age who were born between November 2013 and May 2014. The survey was designed to assess the prevalence of rear-facing car safety seat use and estimate the likelihood of rear-facing car safety seat use, compared with forward-facing car seat use, in reference to hypothesized determinants.