Evidence-based Synthesis Program 

Systematic Review

of Women Veterans

Health Research 2004-2008 

Department of Veterans Affairs

Health Services Research & Development Service

October 2010

Prepared for:

Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Health Administration

Health Services Research & Development Service

Washington, DC 20420

Prepared by:

Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) Center

West Los Angeles VA Medical Center

Los Angeles, CA

Paul G. Shekelle, MD, PhD, Director

Investigators:

Principal Investigator: 

Bevanne Bean-Mayberry, MD, MHS

Co-Investigators: 

Christine Huang, MD

Fatma Batuman, MD

Caroline Goldzweig, MD, MSPH

Donna L. Washington, MD, MPH

Elizabeth M. Yano, PhD, MSPH

Research Associate:

Isomi M. Miake-Lye, BA
ii

Systematic Review of Women Veterans Health Research 2004-2008 Evidence-based Synthesis Program

PREFACE

HSR&D’s Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) was established to provide timely and 

accurate syntheses of targeted healthcare topics of particular importance to VA managers 

and policymakers, as they work to improve the health and healthcare of Veterans. The ESP 

disseminates these reports throughout VA. 

HSR&D provides funding for four ESP Centers and each Center has an active VA affiliation. The 

ESP Centers generate evidence syntheses on important clinical practice topics, and these reports 

help: 

• develop clinical policies informed by evidence, 

• the implementation of effective services to improve patient outcomes and to support VA 

clinical practice guidelines and performance measures, and 

• set the direction for future research to address gaps in clinical knowledge.

In 2009, an ESP Coordinating Center was created to expand the capacity of HSR&D Central 

Office and the four ESP sites by developing and maintaining program processes. In addition, 

the Center established a Steering Committee comprised of HSR&D field-based investigators, 

VA Patient Care Services, Office of Quality and Performance, and VISN Clinical Management 

Officers. The Steering Committee provides program oversight and guides strategic planning, 

coordinates dissemination activities, and develops collaborations with VA leadership to identify 

new ESP topics of importance to Veterans and the VA healthcare system.

Comments on this evidence report are welcome and can be sent to Nicole Floyd, ESP

Coordinating Center Program Manager, at nicole.floyd@va.gov.

Recommended citation:

Bean-Mayberry B, Batuman F, Huang C, Goldzweig CL, Washington DL, Yano EM, Miake-Lye 

I, Shekelle PG. Systematic Review of Women Veterans Health Research 2004-2008. VA-ESP 

Project #05-226; 2010

This report is based on research conducted by the Evidence-based Synthesis Program 

(ESP) Center located at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 

funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of 

Research and Development, Health Services Research and Development. The findings 

and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) who are responsible for its 

contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government. Therefore, no statement 

in this article should be construed as an official position of the Department of Veterans 

Affairs. No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement (e.g., employment, 

consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents 

received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in the report.
iv

Systematic Review of Women Veterans Health Research 2004-2008 Evidence-based Synthesis Program

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

The body of literature dedicated to women veterans’ health and health care issues has grown 

significantly since the publication of one previous systematic review focused on women veterans1. 

To address the growing demand and potential needs of women veterans in the Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, this project sought to assess the state of women veterans’ 

health research and stratify the literature into domains relevant for VA research and policy.

Because of the broad survey nature of this synthesis, no key questions were developed. 

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature on women veterans’ health and 

health care published from 2004 to 2008. Articles were identified by searching multiple scientific 

databases, and supplemented through direct contact with Department of Defense, VA and other 

experts in the field. Article titles were screened by the whole synthesis team, and those articles 

deemed potentially relevant to the review were each independently evaluated by two of three 

reviewers (BB, CH, FB) using a standard screening form. Disagreements in assessment were 

resolved by consensus with input from at least one senior member of the research team. Articles 

were considered for inclusion if the study related to U.S. veterans or military personnel and 

met at least one of the following three criteria: (a) included women veterans, compared men 

and women, or analyzed women separately; (b) involved active duty military women and a 

health condition or functional status that requires medical attention; or (c) were relevant to 

women veterans’ health in VA or how VA care is delivered to women. We excluded articles that 

were non-systematic reviews, editorials, commentaries or of unclear study design. Because of 

the heterogeneity of the studies, no formal meta-analysis could be performed. Articles were 

classified according to subject category and narratively summarized in evidence tables. 

RESULTS

We retrieved 675 articles, of which 380 were unique and passed a title screen for relevance. Of 

these, 185 articles were rejected because the inclusion criteria were not met: 48 did not relate to 

U.S. veterans or military personnel; 106 failed to meet at least one of the other three inclusion 

criteria; 31 articles were excluded because the study design was not appropriate (non-systematic 

reviews, editorials, commentaries, and unclear designs). The remaining 195 articles were 

categorized by study design, funding source, period of military service (if specified) of study 

subjects, research topic area, and health conditions addressed. 

Nearly 60 percent of studies were supported by VA funds. We identified 85 articles focused on 

psychiatry and mental health issues, across the broad categories of PTSD, general mental health, 

trauma (including military sexual trauma) and other conditions. The next largest set of articles 

focused on quality of care (54); access and utilization (48); post-deployment health issues, 

especially related to OEF/OIF veterans (33); and organizational research (7). Categories were not 

mutually exclusive.
v

Systematic Review of Women Veterans Health Research 2004-2008 Evidence-based Synthesis Program

CONCLUSIONS

The literature on women veterans has increased substantially. The baseline review covering 

the more than two decades between 1978 and 2004 included 182 articles. The updated review 

covering the 5-year period 2004 to 2008 included 195 articles. Therefore, more women veterans 

health articles have been published in the past 5 years than in the 23 years before that. 

Consistent with the previous systematic review, most VA women’s health research continues to 

be observational. However, more articles are shifting from a descriptive to an analytical focus 

(e.g., determinants of care or health), and there has been a modest increase in the number of 

clinical trials—two in the baseline review, 5 in this update review.

Although the focus on mental health among women in the military and women veterans remains 

high, with a continuing emphasis on PTSD and MST, important new work has been published on 

prevalence of mental health conditions in different settings and for different subgroups and on 

non-trauma-related mental health problems (e.g., depression, serious mental illness). Emphasis 

on access, utilization, and quality of care for women veterans has increased, as has a focus on 

post-deployment health. These topics were identified in the baseline review as vital gaps in the 

literature and map to VA research priorities. Therefore, the past 5 years have seen substantial 

alignment between priority areas for women veterans’ health research and the research topics 

being pursued.