A Systematic Review of the Literature on Women's Health, 2000-2010

Abstract

Purpose: To inventory and assess existing research on military women s health issues and care with the goal of identifying significant research gaps and inform the Military Health System (MHS) and Department of Defense decision-making processes with evidence-based results. Design: Systematic review of peer-reviewed research articles meeting 4 inclusion criteria: 1) the study related to US military personnel; 2) the study involved women servicemembers, compared men and women service members, compared military women with civilian women, or analyzed women separately; 3) the study involved active duty/reservist/National Guard military personnel eligible for health care in the MHS; and 4) the topic was relevant to MHS care of the delivery of MHS care to military women. Sample: A total of 1411 research articles published between 2000 and 2010 were screened; 317 that met the inclusion criteria were assessed and included in the systematic review. Analysis: The articles were initially categorized into 8 topics: 1) readiness/health protection/ illness prevention; 2) gynecological health; 3) psychological health; 4) deployment health; 5) environmental and occupational exposures; 6) obstetrics/postpartum issues/fertility; 7) chronic disease; and 8) interpersonal violence/sexual trauma. The 317 articles included in the systematic review were read and assessed by a TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP) Military Women s Health Research Interest Group (MWHRIG) Core Leader and a subject matter expert using a preformatted screening form that included the study question, study design, data collection strategies, overall and gender-specific findings. Articles were also rated using a hierarchy of evidence based on study design as well as quality of evidence. Findings: The preponderance of the literature on military women s health research is related to readiness and health promotion, followed by psychological health and gynecological health.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 2015
Accession Number
ADA622646

Entities

People

  • Candy Wilson
  • Jacqueline Rychnovsky
  • Lori Trego
  • Nancy Steele

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Pain
  • Personnel Management
  • Pregnancy Complications

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Medical or Health Care Field.