Women currently comprise approximately 10% of all living US Veterans. This proportion is projected to rise to 15% by 2035 as the number and proportion of women serving in the US Military continues to increase. The demographics and life experiences of women Veterans are distinct from those of both non-Veteran women and male Veterans. Consequently, women Veterans face multiple unique health and healthcare concerns that were historically underserved by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). In the past several decades, the provision of high- quality, evidence-based, accessible healthcare for women Veterans has become an increasingly vital strategic priority within VA. A growing body of literature addresses the health and healthcare concerns of women Veterans. The VA Women’s Health Research Network, established in 2010, seeks to systematically improve women's healthcare and reduce sex/gender disparities by filling critical knowledge gaps in the evidence base related to women Veterans' health and healthcare needs.

Contents

• PREFACE
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • INTRODUCTION
  • METHODS
  • RESULTS
  • DISCUSSION
  • ABBREVIATIONS TABLE
• INTRODUCTION
• METHODS
  • TOPIC DEVELOPMENT
  • SEARCH STRATEGY
  • STUDY SELECTION
  • DATA ABSTRACTION
  • RISK OF BIAS ASSESSMENT
  • DATA SYNTHESIS
  • RATING THE BODY OF EVIDENCE
  • PEER REVIEW
• RESULTS
  • LITERATURE FLOW
  • OVERVIEW OF EXTRACTED DATA
  • SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
• SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
  • ADVANCES IN KEY RESEARCH PRIORITIES
  • SHORTFALLS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE LITERATURE
  • FUTURE DIRECTIONS
  • LIMITATIONS
  • OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDED REVIEWS
  • CONCLUSIONS
• REFERENCES
• APPENDIX A. SEARCH STRATEGIES
• APPENDIX B. PEER REVIEW COMMENTS/AUTHOR RESPONSES
• APPENDIX C. SUMMARY TABLES AND FIGURES

Suggested citation:

Danan E, Ensrud K, Krebs E, Koeller E, Greer N, Velasquez T, MacDonald R, Wilt, TJ. An Evidence Map of the Women Veterans' Health Research Literature (2008 – 2015). VA ESP Project #09-009; 2017.

This report is based on research conducted by the Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) Center located at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative. The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government. Therefore, no statement in this article should be construed as an official position of the Department of Veterans Affairs. No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement (eg, employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in the report.