Improving nurse practitioner assessment of woman veterans

To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with brief screening tools that can be used to identify postmilitary healthcare concerns common among women veterans.

Existing screening tools for posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma.

Women represent more than 10% of military veterans who have served in combat settings during the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result of their military service, women veterans may present in community healthcare settings with one or more of a variety of functional health problems, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, or other evidence of significant physical or psychiatric stress. Their families may be temporarily or permanently unstable as a result of the disruption caused by their military service, deployment, or health status.

NPs who are aware of the unique healthcare needs of women veterans returning from combat will be better prepared to assess and intervene when these patients present with symptoms or health consequences of military service. Simple, straightforward assessments can determine the extent to which women veteran patients require intervention during wartime and/or referral.