UK female veterans' physical health: perceived impact of military service and experiences of accessing healthcare. Findings of a qualitative study.

IF 1.4 4区 医学 Q2 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL Bmj Military Health Pub Date : 2024-08-17 DOI:10.1136/military-2024-002713
Louise Morgan, C Hooks, M Fossey, E Buxton, L Rose Godier-McBard
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Abstract

Introduction: Women make up almost 14% of the UK's veteran population; however, little is known about female veterans' physical health and experiences of accessing healthcare after military service. As part of a qualitative study to understand female veterans' experiences of statutory and charitable support, participants were asked if they felt anything about their military service had impacted their physical health as civilians. They were also asked about their experiences with accessing healthcare and any associated challenges. The aim of this paper is to outline participants' responses to inform the development of further research.

Methods: 85 women who had served in the British Armed Forces took part in semistructured interviews conducted via Microsoft Teams between June and December 2022. Reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted to identify, analyse and report repeated patterns in responses to questions.

Results: Participants reported a range of physical health consequences that they attributed to military service. These included injuries sustained during training and deployment, 'wear and tear' through training and the impact of sometimes unsuitable clothing. They reported chronic pain, tendonitis, arthritis, slipped discs, broken bones and hearing loss. Some described their lives as severely restricted as a result. Challenges to accessing healthcare included perceived stigma associated with help-seeking, inconsistency around the transfer of medical records and a widespread lack of veteran awareness among civilian healthcare professionals.

Conclusions: There is a distinct lack of research in the UK against which to compare these findings; thus, further research is required in all areas of female veterans' physical health and experiences of accessing healthcare. Research should begin by establishing the nature and prevalence of health conditions among female and male veterans to identify the unique needs of both and tailor support accordingly.

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英国女性退伍军人的身体健康:感知到的服兵役影响和获得医疗保健的经历。定性研究结果。
简介女性退伍军人占英国退伍军人总数的近 14%;然而,人们对女性退伍军人的身体健康以及服役后获得医疗保健服务的经历知之甚少。作为一项旨在了解女性退伍军人在法定和慈善支持方面的经历的定性研究的一部分,研究人员询问了参与者,她们是否感觉到服兵役对她们作为平民的身体健康产生了影响。她们还被问及获得医疗保健服务的经历以及相关挑战。本文旨在概述参与者的回答,为进一步研究的开展提供参考。方法:85 名曾在英国武装部队服役的女性参加了 2022 年 6 月至 12 月期间通过微软团队进行的半结构式访谈。对访谈记录进行了反思性主题分析,以识别、分析和报告问题回答中的重复模式:结果:参与者报告了一系列因服兵役而导致的身体健康后果。这些后果包括在训练和部署期间受伤、训练造成的 "磨损 "以及有时不合适的服装造成的影响。他们报告了慢性疼痛、肌腱炎、关节炎、椎间盘滑脱、骨折和听力损失。一些人称他们的生活因此受到严重限制。获得医疗保健服务所面临的挑战包括与寻求帮助相关的耻辱感、医疗记录转移方面的不一致以及文职医疗保健专业人员普遍缺乏退伍军人意识:英国明显缺乏可与这些研究结果进行比较的研究;因此,需要在女性退伍军人身体健康和就医经历的所有领域开展进一步研究。研究应从确定女性退伍军人和男性退伍军人健康状况的性质和患病率入手,以确定二者的独特需求,并据此提供相应的支持。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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Bmj Military Health
Bmj Military Health MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL-
CiteScore
3.10
自引率
20.00%
发文量
116
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