Building Sustainable Models of Veteran-Engaged Health Services Research

Abstract

Engaging veterans in research has gained momentum in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in recent years. Engagement ensures that health services research is more relevant and tailored to the unique needs of veteran populations. VHA research centers promote engagement through the development of veteran engagement groups (VEGs). Members engage with researchers in organized meetings to review research proposals or projects, and provide individual feedback to improve veteran-centricity. This article shares important lessons learned in implementing VEGs locally from the liaisons who serve as a bridge between researchers and the veterans involved in these groups. Five steps in the VEG formation process are discussed: (1) regulatory considerations (e.g., compliance issues, ethics); (2) recruitment of VEG members (e.g., group size, demographic characteristics); (3) structure and governance (e.g., meeting logistics, participation, and privacy/confidentiality); (4) orientation and training (e.g., orienting veterans and researchers to the engagement process); and (5) evaluation and feedback (e.g., the effectiveness of engagement and tracking the incorporation of veteran feedback in the research). While all VEGs go through identical steps in the formation process, local implementation varies contextually by research center location. To illustrate the diversity in the formation methods, we present a series of case studies throughout this article: Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Hines, Illinois; West Haven, Connecticut; Iowa City, Iowa; and Houston, Texas. Normalization of veteran engagement in VHA health services research will require a cultural shift to one that embraces veterans’ perspectives and results in a more collaborative partnership between VHA leadership, researchers, and veterans.