Rural Women Veterans' Experiences Receiving Women's Health Care at Veterans Health Administration

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) launched the Rural Women's Health Mini-Residency (WH-MR) program to improve primary care providers' knowledge and confidence in delivering sex-specific care. While prior evaluations have demonstrated increased provider competence, little is known about how women Veterans in rural settings experience care from WH-MR-trained clinicians.

To explore rural women Veterans' experiences with women's health services provided by WH-MR-trained clinicians in VHA primary care settings.

Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis.

Rural women Veterans receiving primary care from VHA clinics supported by WH-MR-trained providers and nurses.

Participant perceptions of satisfaction, access, provider expertise, and barriers related to women's health care in rural settings.

Four main themes emerged: (1) overall satisfaction with VHA women's health primary care, particularly with screening and follow-up services; (2) perception that women's health services were limited or unavailable within primary care; (3) concerns about primary care teams' ability to maintain women's health expertise in a historically male-focused system; and (4) challenges accessing care related to travel distance, transportation, and privacy concerns in rural communities. Despite providers' participation in the Rural WH-MR program, respondents described inconsistent availability of women's health services and limited awareness of available resources. Participants also questioned providers' experience with sensitive or low-frequency procedures, such as pelvic exams, due to lower patient volumes.

Although the Rural WH-MR program enhances provider preparedness, women Veterans' experiences suggest gaps in access, communication, and visibility of women's health services in rural VHA primary care. Continued training, proactive outreach, and tailored support for rural clinics are needed to ensure equitable and consistent delivery of women's health care across the VHA system.