Ellia Vanderwerff
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Research Mentor(s): Dr. Nikhil Parekh
Co-Presenter: Shah, Emily
Research Mentor School/College/Department: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System / NonUM
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 4 – 2:40pm – 3:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Nikhil Parekh, Ellia Vanderwerff
Presenter: 118
Abstract
The topic of our research is the knowledge and perception of the Whole Health Initiative through the VA Health System. Whole Health is a patient-centered system that provides comprehensive medical care targeting physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing through individual and collaborative plans and programs for veterans. We hope to learn about the awareness of Whole Health, how to better the resources we use to advertise it, and how to better implement and support veteran care. We are creating a survey that will be distributed among health care workers, veterans, and veteran’s family members. The survey questions focus on the eight areas of self-care reflected in the circle of health; moving the body, surroundings, personal development, food and drink, recharge, family, friends and coworkers, spirit and soul, and power of the mind. We will analyze our findings using empirical statistical analysis and SPSS data analysis software. Data is currently being analyzed; data and analysis of data will be presented at the upcoming poster symposium. We hypothesize that knowledge regarding Whole Health and its benefits will be limited among our sample population meaning that current educational resources are not sufficient in spreading awareness of the full scale of healthcare that is available. If the hypothesis is correct, initiatives would need to expand to increase education about Whole Health. We expect that all participants and veterans could benefit from this research as they can learn about new care tactics and implementation methods. In the case that we can gauge and potentially increase communication regarding Whole Health, these methods could improve veterans’ physical health, mental health, and overall well-being and connectedness to oneself.
Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary, Public Health
