Evaluation of a Military Informed Care Training with Private Sector Healthcare Providers 

Recent legislation has expanded veterans’ access to healthcare outside the VA system, increasing the need for private sector providers to develop military cultural knowledge. Over 22 million veterans rely on non-VA healthcare providers, highlighting the necessity for Military-Informed Care (MIC)—a term introduced by Kreimeyer and Huntington (2018) to describe healthcare practices informed by a patient’s military service, background, and unique needs.

Research suggests that MIC improves veterans’ trust in their providers, leading to better health outcomes. Delivering culturally competent care requires an understanding of these distinct needs and experiences.

To develop an effective MIC training, researchers conducted a focus group with 10 veteran patients (8 male, 2 female) from the Army, Navy, and Marines. Based on these discussions, the following key training topics were identified:

• Military identity formation and training.
• Stressors of military life and trauma, including modern warfare and the deployment cycle.
• Military ethos and its impact on behavioral health.
• Navigation of VA healthcare and private sector providers.
• Local veteran demographic statistics.

The resulting 2-hour MIC training was delivered to 77 healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and other private healthcare staff. The impact of the training was evaluated using the validated Assessment of Military Cultural Competence (AMCC) to measure improvements in military cultural knowledge and attitudes.

The MIC training resulted in statistically significant improvements in participants’ military cultural knowledge and attitudes. Key outcomes included:

• The MIC training significantly improved providers’ military cultural knowledge and attitudes, equipping them to better serve veterans. Participants reported a better ability to understand military-specific terminology and to screen for diseases and disorders common among veterans.
• 91.4% of providers planned to make changes to their clinical practices after completing the training, demonstrating an increased commitment to culturally responsive care for veterans.

Private sector healthcare providers caring for veterans have a responsibility to enhance their military cultural competence to provide veterans with care tailored to their unique experiences and challenges. This can be achieved by engaging in continuing education initiatives focused on military-informed care, including training on cultural knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for delivering tailored care.

Military cultural training programs should also undergo routine evaluation to ensure they effectively equip providers to offer high-quality, culturally responsive care to veterans.