Abstracts Health Sciences

Wellness Strength for Life: Patient Activation and Veteran Health Outcomes

by Olivia Robinson

There is substantial evidence that Veterans are disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions in comparison to the general population (Kramarow & Pastor, 2012). Research findings indicate that patient activation can greatly impact health outcomes, with higher activation associated with improved health outcomes and better patient self-management (Greene & Hibbard, 2011; Hibbard et al., 2015). Recently, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has initiated a transformation of care, entitled Whole Health, which incorporates strategies that demonstrate promise in enhancing patient activation (Greene et al., 2016). The current retrospective chart review sought to explore how patient activation relates to changes in Veteran characteristics and general health outcomes following participation in a Whole Health wellness program. Veterans completed self-report measures of patient activation, life engagement, and sense of hope at program orientation and up to one year after program entry. Throughout the program, Veterans continued to participate in routine medical appointments, with health outcomes regularly measured and entered into the medical chart. Results indicated that higher patient activation was not significantly associated with higher levels of wellness group attendance. Similarly, group attendance was not significantly associated with improvements in patient activation. Health outcomes trended in the expected direction, with Veterans demonstrating improvement in all health outcomes measured, though such improvements did not reach statistical significance. Lastly, patient activation did not moderate the relationship between wellness group attendance and health outcomes. These findings have important implications, as they suggest the potential benefits of changing current Whole Health programming.