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Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Grappling with Gulf War Illness: Perspectives of Gulf War Providers
International journal of environmental research and public health, v 17(22), 8574
01 Nov 2020
PMID: 33227919
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Background : Although the Gulf War occurred almost 30 years ago, the chronic symptoms of Gulf War illness (GWI), which include respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin problems, as well as fatigue, pain, and mood alterations, currently affect over 200,000 veterans. Meanwhile, healthcare providers lack clear guidelines about how to best treat this illness. The objective in this study was to learn about the perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers of GWI veterans in terms of medical symptoms, resources for treatment, and quality of care.
Methods : We interviewed 10 healthcare providers across the United States and subsequently conducted a qualitative grounded theory study which entailed both systematic data analysis and generating a grounded theory framework.
Results : Our findings indicated multiple challenges for providers of veterans with GWI, including gaps in knowledge about GWI, lack of treatment options, absence of consistent communication within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system, and personalized care that was limited to validation.
Conclusion : While this study had several limitations, it supported the notion that healthcare providers have inadequate knowledge and awareness about GWI, which leads to continued uncertainty about how to best care for GWI veterans. This could be remedied by the creation of a comprehensive curriculum for a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to serve as an educational tool for those attending to this largely overlooked veteran population.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Grappling with Gulf War Illness: Perspectives of Gulf War Providers
- Creators
- Girija Kaimal - Drexel UniversityRebekka Dieterich-Hartwell - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- International journal of environmental research and public health, v 17(22), 8574
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Number of pages
- 11
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000594698100001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85096238189
- Other Identifier
- 991019168306304721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health