A Quality Improvement Initiative for Designing and Implementing a Military Service Screening Tool for a Community Emergency Department.

Problem: Veterans eligible for health care in the Veterans Administration (VA) health system often receive care in community emergency Departments. In line with initiatives from Joining Forces and the American Academy of Nursing, emergency departments have an opportunity to screen for veterans during routine ED visits and provide resource information regarding various VA services.

Methods: Our aims were to design and implement a screening process to identify veterans during an ED visit, notify ED providers of veteran status, and develop a Veteran Resource Guide to be distributed at the time of discharge.