Strategy for Our Veterans: 6 Monthly Report (August 2022)
Summary: This report will outline how the OVA is working with departments across government, as well as with external stakeholders, to deliver in each of these areas. Particular focus will be given to progress made since the launch of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan in January 2022 and to the OVA's plans for the future. The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 focused on three main areas: first, transforming services for veterans, improving services to make sure veterans and families have the support they need. Secondly, understanding our veteran community and to use data and research to ensure policy across government is rooted in robust evidence. And lastly, recognising our veterans’ contribution to society and fully recognising all veterans’ contributions to society, including those who may not historically have felt their service was recognised, and challenging negative stereotypes.
Abstract: Context: In response to the opioid crisis, federal guidelines were implemented, including the Veterans Health Administration's (VA) Opioid Safety Initiative in 2013. The impact of policies on patients near the end of life is unknown. Objective: Examine temporal trends in opioid prescribing, pain, and opioid overdoses among Veterans near the end of life. Methods: Retrospective, time series analysis of VA decedents between October 2009 and September 2018 whose next-of-kin participated in VA's Bereaved Family Survey (BFS). Using multivariate regression to adjust for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, we examined temporal trends in outpatient opioid prescribing, uncontrolled pain based on BFS report, and opioid overdose-related hospitalizations, in the last month of life, overall and by clinical diagnosis (cancer versus non-cancer). Results: Among 79,409 decedents, mean daily outpatient opioid dose in morphine milligram equivalents in the last month of life decreased from 4.6 mg in 2010 to 2.1 mg in 2018 (adjusted change -0.20 mg/year; P