Increasing Use of Video Telehealth Among Veterans Experiencing Homelessness with Substance Use Disorder: Design of A Peer-Led Intervention.

Telehealth offers promising opportunities, but also challenges, for veterans experiencing homelessness - during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Recent research found low utilization of clinical video visits among homeless veterans receiving a VA tablet, and having a substance use disorder (SUD) further reduced visit likelihood. Hence, this study sought to identify unique barriers to telehealth use among veterans experiencing homelessness with a SUD and design an intervention to promote adoption. This qualitative study was guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The study's three phases included veteran interviews (N = 28) to identify barriers and facilitators to video telehealth use and propose intervention candidates, a provider expert panel to obtain feedback on interventions, and a focus group with veterans to complete the intervention. Finally, a prototype was designed using the intervention mapping approach. Veteran interviews revealed that barriers to video telehealth included complex physical and mental health issues, lack of digital literacy, and insufficient technical support. Together, veterans and experts proposed five intervention candidates. In the end, a veteran focus group combined two candidates, peer-led digital training and motivational interviewing. Intervention mapping was used to design a "stepped care" intervention that trains and activates veterans at all skill levels. This study demonstrates how inclusion of expert and veteran views led to development of a novel intervention to support and sustain video telehealth use among veterans experiencing homeless with SUD.

Use of Video Telehealth Tablets to Increase Access for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness.

BACKGROUND: Veterans experiencing homelessness face substantial barriers to accessing health and social services. In 2016, the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system launched a unique program to distribute video-enabled tablets to Veterans with access barriers. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the use of VA-issued video telehealth tablets among Veterans experiencing homelessness in the VA system. DESIGN: Guided by the RE-AIM framework, we first evaluated the adoption of tablets among Veterans experiencing homelessness and housed Veterans. We then analyzed health record and tablet utilization data to compare characteristics of both subpopulations, and used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with tablet use among Veterans experiencing homelessness. PATIENTS: In total, 12,148 VA patients receiving tablets between October 2017 and March 2019, focusing on the 1470 VA Veterans experiencing homelessness receiving tablets (12.1%). MAIN MEASURES: Tablet use within 6 months of receipt for mental health, primary or specialty care. KEY RESULTS: Nearly half (45.9%) of Veterans experiencing homelessness who received a tablet had a video visit within 6 months of receipt, most frequently for telemental health. Tablet use was more common among Veterans experiencing homelessness who were younger (AOR = 2.77; P <.001); middle-aged (AOR = 2.28; P <.001); in rural settings (AOR = 1.46; P =.005); and those with post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 1.64; P <.001), and less common among those who were Black (AOR = 0.43; P <.001) and those with a substance use disorder (AOR = 0.59; P <.001) or persistent housing instability (AOR = 0.75; P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth care and connection for vulnerable populations are particularly salient during the COVID-19 pandemic but also beyond. VA's distribution of video telehealth tablets offers healthcare access to Veterans experiencing homelessness; however, barriers remain for subpopulations. Tailored training and support for these patients may be needed to optimize telehealth tablet use and effectiveness.

Interorganizational Care Coordination of Rural Veterans by Veterans Affairs and Community Care Programs: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: In the unique context of rural Veterans' health care needs, expansion of US Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care programs under the MISSION Act, and the uncertainties of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is critical to understand what may support effective interorganizational care coordination for increased access to high-quality care. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a systematic review to examine the interorganizational care coordination initiatives that Veterans Affairs (VA) and community partners have pursued in caring for rural Veterans, including challenges and opportunities, organizational domains shaping care coordination, and among these, initiatives that improve or impede health care outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN: We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to search 2 electronic databases (PubMed and Embase) for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2009 and May 2020. Building on prior research, we conducted a systematic review. RESULTS: Sixteen articles met our criteria. Each captured a unique health care focus while examining common challenges. Four organizational domains emerged: policy and administration, culture, mechanisms, and relational practices. Exemplars highlight how initiatives improve or impede rural health care delivery. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first systematic review, to our knowledge, examining interorganizational care coordination of rural Veterans by VA and Community Care programs. Results provide exemplars of interorganizational care coordination domains and program effectiveness. It suggests that partners' efforts to align their coordination domains can improve health care, with rurality serving as a critical contextual factor. Findings are important for policies, practices, and research of VA and Community Care partners committed to improving access and health care for rural Veterans.