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Ball DD, Sadler AG, Steffen MJ, Paez MB, Mengeling MA. The impact of patient-provider relationships on choosing between VA and VA-purchased care: A qualitative study of health care decision-making among rural veterans. J Rural Health 2024; 40:430-437. [PMID: 37942663 DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Since the Choice Act in 2014, many Veterans have had greater options for seeking Veteran Affairs (VA)-purchased care in the community. We investigated factors that influence rural Veterans' decisions regarding where to seek care. METHODS We utilized semi-structured telephone interviews to query Veterans living in rural or highly rural areas of Midwestern states about their health care options, preferences, and experiences. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, thematically coded, and deductively analyzed using a socioecological approach. FINDINGS Forty rural Veterans (20 men/20 women) ages 28-76 years completed interviews in 2019. We found that rural Veterans often spoke about their relationships and interactions with providers as an important factor in deciding where to seek care. They expressed three socioecological qualities of patient-provider relationships that affected their decisions: (1) personal level-rural Veterans traveled longer distances for more compatible patient-provider relationships; (2) interpersonal level-they sought stable patient-provider relationships that encouraged familiarity, trust, and communication; and (3) organizational level-they emphasized shared identities and expertise that fostered a sense of belonging with their provider. Participants also described how impersonal interactions, status differences, and staff turnover impacted their choice of provider and were disruptive to patient-provider relationships. CONCLUSIONS Rural Veterans' interview responses suggest exploring innovative ways to measure socioecological dimensions (i.e., personal, interpersonal, and organizational) of access-related decisions and patient-provider relationships to better understand health care barriers and needs. Such measures align with the VA's Whole Health approach that emphasizes person-centered care and the value of social relationships to Veterans' health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Ball
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Anne G Sadler
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Melissa J Steffen
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Monica B Paez
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Michelle A Mengeling
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Krishnamurti LS, Denneson LM, Agha A, Beyer N, Mitchell S, Dichter ME. Improving suicide prevention for women veterans: Recommendations from VHA suicide prevention coordinators. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2023; 84:67-72. [PMID: 37393650 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Women are a minority veteran subpopulation experiencing particular risk for suicide and facing distinct challenges in accessing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care. As part of efforts to enhance suicide prevention, the VHA established Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPC) as clinicians who work exclusively to connect high-risk veterans to the scope of VHA's services. To understand the experiences of women veterans with suicide risk who access care, this study presents findings from qualitative interviews with SPCs regarding the care needs, preferences, and concerns of women veterans who utilize VHA for enhanced suicide-related care. METHODS We conducted qualitative interviews with 20 SPCs from 13 VAMCs around the United States. We specifically asked SPCs to share perspectives on women veterans' barriers to accessing care and their recommendations to improve suicide prevention for this subpopulation. We conducted a thematic content analysis to extract key themes. RESULTS SPCs revealed that women veterans opt to avoid VHA due to prior negative experiences, often related to provider sensitivity to women's issues. Safety was another key concern, specifically related to feeling unwelcome or intimidated in the male dominated veteran community. Key provider recommendations include increasing the availability of gender-sensitive providers and making changes to the physical spaces of the VHA to better facilitate women veterans' access to care. CONCLUSIONS SPCs underscored the importance of comfort and relatability between women patients and providers, especially in relation to enhanced care for suicide risk. This study presents important evidence in support of enhancing suicide prevention by better engaging women veterans in care that is more inclusive and more sensitive to their experiences and identity, in and outside VHA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren S Krishnamurti
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America.
| | - Lauren M Denneson
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States of America; Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine, Portland, OR, United States of America
| | - Aneeza Agha
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Nicole Beyer
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Shannon Mitchell
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America
| | - Melissa E Dichter
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America; Temple University School of Social Work, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
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Daphna-Tekoah S, Harel-Shalev A, Harpaz-Rotem I. Thank You for Hearing My Voice - Listening to Women Combat Veterans in the United States and Israeli Militaries. Front Psychol 2021; 12:769123. [PMID: 34938240 PMCID: PMC8685575 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The military service of combat soldiers may pose many threats to their well being and often take a toll on body and mind, influencing the physical and emotional make-up of combatants and veterans. The current study aims to enhance our knowledge about the combat experiences and the challenges that female soldiers face both during and after their service. The study is based on qualitative methods and narrative analysis of in-depth semi-structured personal interviews with twenty military veterans. It aims to analyze the narratives of American and Israeli female combat soldiers regarding their military service, with emphasis on the soldiers' descriptions, in their own words, about their difficulties, challenges, coping and successes during their service and transition to civilian life. A recurring theme in the interviews with the veterans of both militaries was the need to be heard and the fact that societies, therapists, and military institutions do not always truly listen to female veterans' experiences and are not really interested in what actually ails them. Our research suggests that conventional methods used in research relating to veterans might at times be inadequate, because the inherent categorization might abstract, pathologize, and fragment a wide array of soldiers' modes of post-combat being. Moreover, female veterans' voices will not be fully heard unless we allow them to be active participants in generating knowledge about themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shir Daphna-Tekoah
- Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
- Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ayelet Harel-Shalev
- Conflict Management and Resolution Program, Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Ilan Harpaz-Rotem
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States
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Fenwick KM, Golden RE, Frayne SM, Hamilton AB, Yano EM, Carney DV, Klap R. Women Veterans' Experiences of Harassment and Perceptions of Veterans Affairs Health Care Settings During a National Anti-Harassment Campaign. Womens Health Issues 2021; 31:567-575. [PMID: 34238668 DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE In 2017, Veterans Health Administration (VA) launched a social marketing and training campaign to address harassment of women veterans at VA health care facilities. We assessed women veterans' experiences of harassment, reported perpetrators of harassment, and perceptions of VA in 2017 (before campaign launch) and 2018 (1 year after campaign implementation). METHODS We administered surveys to women veterans attending primary care appointments (2017, n = 1,300; 2018, n = 1,711). Participants reported whether they experienced sexual harassment (e.g., catcalls) and gender harassment (e.g., questioning women's veteran status) from patients and/or staff at VA in the past 6 months. They also indicated whether they felt welcome, felt safe, and believed the VA is working to address harassment. We compared variables in 2017 versus 2018 with χ2 analyses, adjusting for facility-level clustering. RESULTS There were no significant differences in percentages of participants reporting sexual harassment (20% vs. 17%) or gender harassment (11% vs. 11%) in 2017 versus 2018. Men veterans were the most frequently named perpetrators, but participants also reported harassment from staff. Participant beliefs that VA is working to address harassment significantly improved from 2017 to 2018 (52% vs. 57%; p = .05). CONCLUSIONS One year after campaign launch, women veterans continued to experience harassment while accessing VA health care services. Findings confirm that ongoing efforts to address and monitor both staff- and patient-perpetrated harassment are essential. Results have implications for future anti-harassment intervention design and implementation and highlight additional opportunities for investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karissa M Fenwick
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Rachel E Golden
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California
| | - Susan M Frayne
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California; Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Alison B Hamilton
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Los Angeles, California
| | - Elizabeth M Yano
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California; Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California; Department of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
| | - Diane V Carney
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California
| | - Ruth Klap
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Jane & Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Los Angeles, California
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Gaffey AE, Burg MM, Rosman L, Portnoy GA, Brandt CA, Cavanagh CE, Skanderson M, Dziura J, Mattocks KM, Bastian LA, Haskell SG. Baseline Characteristics from the Women Veterans Cohort Study: Gender Differences and Similarities in Health and Healthcare Utilization. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2021; 30:944-955. [PMID: 33439756 PMCID: PMC8290312 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: With the unprecedented expansion of women's roles in the U.S. military during recent (post-9/11) conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of women seeking healthcare through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has increased substantially. Women Veterans often present as medically complex due to multiple medical, mental health, and psychosocial comorbidities, and consequently may be underserved. Thus, we conducted the nationwide Women Veterans Cohort Study (WVCS) to examine post-9/11 Veterans' unique healthcare needs and to identify potential disparities in health outcomes and care. Methods: We present baseline data from a comprehensive questionnaire battery that was administered from 2016 to 2019 to a national sample of post-9/11 men and women Veterans who enrolled in Veterans Affairs care (WVCS2). Data were analyzed for descriptives and to compare characteristics by gender, including demographics; health risk factors and symptoms of cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, and mental health; healthcare utilization, access, and insurance. Results: WVCS2 included 1,141 Veterans (51% women). Women were younger, more diverse, and with higher educational attainment than men. Women also endorsed lower traditional cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities (e.g., weight, hypertension) and greater nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., trauma, psychological symptoms). More women reported single-site pain (e.g., neck, stomach, pelvic) and multisite pain, but did not differ from men in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms or treatment for PTSD. Women seek care at VHA medical centers more frequently, often combined with outside health services, but do not significantly differ from men in their insurance coverage. Conclusion: Overall, this investigation indicates substantial variation in risk factors, health outcomes, and healthcare utilization among post-9/11 men and women Veterans. Further research is needed to determine best practices for managing women Veterans in the VHA healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison E. Gaffey
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Matthew M. Burg
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lindsey Rosman
- Division of Cardiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Galina A. Portnoy
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Cynthia A. Brandt
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Casey E. Cavanagh
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | | | - James Dziura
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kristin M. Mattocks
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Research and Development, VA Central Western Massachusetts and Department of Quantitative Health Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Leeds, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lori A. Bastian
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine (General), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sally G. Haskell
- VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Pain Research, Informatics, Multimorbidities and Education (PRIME) Center of Innovation, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine (General), Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Barriers to PTSD treatment-seeking by women veterans who experienced military sexual trauma decades ago: The role of institutional betrayal. Nurs Outlook 2021; 69:458-470. [PMID: 33863545 DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2021.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While some barriers to PTSD treatment engagement among veterans are well-identified, e.g., stigma, little is known about the barriers to VA PTSD treatment-seeking among women veterans who experienced military sexual trauma (MST) decades ago. PURPOSE To explore the barriers to PTSD treatment-seeking of women veterans with PTSD related to MST experienced prior to 2000. METHOD Data were collected from women veterans (n = 14) who had experienced MST and sought VA PTSD treatment. Data analyses utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach. FINDINGS The context of the MST experience, including the military environment at the time, the era in which they experienced MST and the response of others to their reporting or disclosure of MST created decades-long barriers to PTSD treatment-seeking. DISCUSSION Understanding institutional betrayal as a barrier to PTSD treatment-seeking among women veterans who experienced MST decades ago is necessary to develop effective targeted outreach and programs for this population.
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Dyer KE, Hamilton AB, Yano EM, Moreau JL, Frayne SM, Carney DV, Golden RE, Klap R. Mobilizing embedded research and operations partnerships to address harassment of women Veterans at VA medical facilities. HEALTHCARE-THE JOURNAL OF DELIVERY SCIENCE AND INNOVATION 2021; 8 Suppl 1:100513. [PMID: 33514498 DOI: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Key insights: A: Addressing a complex problem like harassment in VA medical facilities requires committed, engaged collaboration at multiple levels of the organization. B: Timely feedback of initial research findings to operations partners enabled rapid and more responsive development of new programs and policies. C: Our research-clinical partnership has enabled us to pursue targeted change from the outset, while incorporating real-time findings from embedded researchers working to develop a comprehensive understanding of the problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Dyer
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Alison B Hamilton
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Yano
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jessica L Moreau
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan M Frayne
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA, USA; Division of Primary Care & Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Diane V Carney
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Rachel E Golden
- VA HSR&D Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Ruth Klap
- VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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