Innovation Hero: Dr. John De Caro
Innovation Heroes is a recurring series from the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, focusing on VA employees who are driving innovation forward and improving the lives of their colleagues and/or Veterans.
This month, we featured the incredible story of Dr. John De Caro, a Urologist at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, GA.
Expanding Contraception Access for Male Veterans
When Urologist John De Caro, MD, came to Augusta VA in October 2021, he noticed there was a gap in the contraceptive care offerings for male patients, especially Veterans. At almost every visit after puberty, care providers ask girls and women about contraception and their available options. For men, there was no standard practice or guidelines for recurring conversations about contraception.
“When I see Veteran patients ask about vasectomies, men are often the ones bringing it up first to their primary care provider, or women are bringing it up to men. There’s not a proactive approach in place,” said Dr. De Caro.
When it comes to surgical options for contraception, “… men, on the other hand, have a shorter recovery period, only need local anesthesia, and can often return to work the next day.” Despite these benefits, women are about 40% more likely than men undergo a surgical contraception procedure.
Through a three-pronged approach, Dr. De Caro is working to bring greater awareness to male contraception options and benefits. By collaborating with primary care colleagues to create a standard of practice, easing the process of setting up vasectomy appointments, and developing an online patient decision making support tool, he sees progress beginning to form.
Sparking an Idea
After being introduced to the VHA Innovators Network (iNET) by Augusta Innovation Specialist Kelsey Shull, Dr. De Caro applied for iNET’s Spark-Seed-Spread program and earned spark status for his idea of the “Male Contraception Initiative.” While his idea is in the early stages, Dr. De Caro is already receiving support from Augusta VA to follow through on his idea.
“At almost every facility, being involved in innovation is often at the cost of the individual who is spearheading it. At VA, iNET offers opportunities to carve out time specifically for innovative work. It makes innovation a piece of what you do for VA not just an add-on that you have to try and squeeze in.”
Get Involved in Innovation
Dr. De Caro is just one VHA employee innovating healthcare. Want to become an innovation hero? Visit our website to learn more about opportunities for involvement in innovation at VA.
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