A recent study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has revealed more problems with the way hospitals run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are operating. This study looked at how well the VA, for-profit and non-profit hospitals, perform on quality measures for inpatient psychiatric care or Hospital-Based Inpatient Psychiatric Services (HBIPS.)
In the study, it was revealed that VA hospitals are failing to ask patients important questions 39% of the time about trauma history, substance use and violence risk.
On top this, VA has failed to provide appropriate justification for discharging patients on multiple antipsychotics 61% of the time, and created a continuing care plan for patients upon discharge around 50% of the time.
Lead author, Meredith Rosenthal stated that, “These results are very troubling,” and that, “They further substantiate the need for VA hospitals to receive greater regulation and financial resources.”
