The manualized treatment approach for substance use disorder, Seeking Safety, is well received and associated with better drug use outcomes than 'treatment as usual' in male veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. However, the mechanism of its effect is unclear.

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Objective-Mental health services for women vary widely across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system, without consensus on the need for, or organization of, specialized services for women. Understanding women's needs and priorities is essential to guide the implementation of patient-centered behavioral health services.Methods-In a cross-sectional, multisite survey of female veterans using primary care, potential stakeholders were identified for VHA mental health services by assessing perceived or observed need for mental health services. These stakeholders (N=484) ranked priorities for mental health care among a wide range of possible services. The investigators then quantified the importance of having designated women's mental health services for each of the mental health services that emerged as key priorities.Portions of this article were presented at the annual research meeting of the Academy Health, Baltimore, June 23-25, 2013.The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA Author ManuscriptVA Author Manuscript VA Author ManuscriptResults-Treatment for depression, pain management, coping with chronic general medical conditions, sleep problems, weight management, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) emerged as women's key priorities. Having mental health services specialized for women was rated as extremely important to substantial proportions of women for each of the six prioritized services. Preference for primary care colocation was strongly associated with higher importance ratings for designated women's mental health services. For specific types of services, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, PTSD symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidity were also associated with higher importance ratings for designated women's services.Conclusions-Female veterans are a diverse population whose needs and preferences for mental health services vary along demographic and clinical factors. These stakeholder perspectives can help prioritize structural and clinical aspects of designated women's mental health care in the VHA.Implementation of patient-centered behavioral health services in primary care is improving the quality of mental health care in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) (1) and may be especially effective in improving the quality of care for underrepresented populations (2-5). For example, a patient-centered approach helps address the unique mental health needs of women in VHA care, who constitute only 6% of all veteran users in a predominantly male system (6,7) but who are one of the most rapidly growing subpopulations of patients within the VHA (8). Historically, women utilizing VHA services have faced gender disparities in access to and quality of primary care, preventive services, and mental health care (9,10), which led to the implementation of comprehensive primary care for female veterans across the system (11,12). Mental health services for women still vary across the VHA, without consensus on the need for, or org...

PBRNs contribute to the uptake of evidence into everyday practice, and may serve as an important component of the future implementation of evidence-based initiatives. Level of evidence: V.