Has your health care provider ever asked you about military service? Most would be unaware that a patient in their exam room may be a veteran since some 60% of veterans use traditional health care resources – private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. Health histories have questions on illnesses, medications and surgeries, and may even include a question on occupation. An important, but generally unasked question should be: “Have you ever served in the military?”

This unasked question is discussed in an article in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association). The author, Jeffrey Brown, is a physician who served in the Vietnam War. He realized that his military service put him at risk for medical complications from Agent Orange, and impacted him psychologically as well. Because of his experience, Dr Brown recommends this important question be asked by health care providers and included in medical school courses.

Scars from injuries during military service are visible, but the effects of traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder or chemical exposures are not. Information on military service gives doctors and nurses critical information on present and future health conditions – both physical and psychological – that may not apply to their usual civilian population. Some 1.6 million of the 21.8 million veterans are women, so “the unasked question” applies to female as well as male patients.

Infectious diseases, and radiation and chemical exposures from the recent Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts as well as the Gulf and Vietnam wars, may have long-term health effects. The Veterans’ Administration (VA) provides information on possible military exposures for both veterans and healthcare providers.

This Veterans Administration (VA) site has: exposure fact sheets, guides for clinicians, newsletters for veterans, information on diseases and conditions, and studies and data. Your tax dollars provide this important information – use it to learn more about veterans’ health.

Information on the veterans’ census numbers can be found at: http://www.census.gov/how/infographics/veterans.html

The complete JAMA article by Dr. Brown (November 14, 2012 – Vol. 308, No. 18) can be found in libraries at medical schools, hospitals – including VA medical centers, and some large city public libraries.