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Prevalence of Homelessness in the Emergency Department Setting
- Source :
- Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, Feldman, Brett J; Calogero, Cristina G; Elsayed, Kareem S; Abbasi, Osman Z; Enyart, Joshua; Friel, Timothy J; et al.(2017). Prevalence of Homelessness in the Emergency Department Setting. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18(3). doi: 10.5811/westjem.2017.1.33054. Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/67r8k225
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 2017.
-
Abstract
- Introduction According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the national rate of homelessness has been cited as 17.7 homeless people/10,000 people in the general population, and 24.8 homeless veterans/10,000 veterans in the general population. However, it is unknown what the prevalence of homelessness is in the emergency department (ED) setting. We set out to determine the prevalence of homelessness or at risk for homelessness in the ED setting. Methods Using a five-question screening tool derived from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and the Veterans Administration definition for homelessness, we surveyed all patients meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria on scheduled shifts in one of three EDs in Northeastern Pennsylvania. To participate, subjects had to be a registered patient in the ED, be 18 years or older, speak English, have the capacity to answer survey questions, not be critically ill, be willing to participate, and not have taken the survey before. We selected two survey periods to represent seasonal variations. Results We included 4,395 subjects in the analysis. The mean age of those who screened positive for homelessness or at risk for homelessness was 43.1 (SD 16.6). Overall, 136 (3.1%) participants screened positive for at risk for homelessness and 309 (7.0%) screened positive for homelessness. A total of 103 subjects (9.8%) screened positive for homelessness or at risk for homelessness on weekends and 312 (10.3%) on weekdays (p=0.64). The proportion of those screening positive for homelessness or at risk for homelessness varied by site: 145 (7.5%) at the trauma center, 151(9.1%) at the suburban site, and 149 (18.7%) at the center city site, p
- Subjects :
- Gerontology
Adult
Male
prevalence
Psychological intervention
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Statistical significance
mental disorders
Prevalence
Medicine
Vulnerable population
Humans
Mass Screening
Screening tool
Prospective Studies
Prospective cohort study
homelessness
Mass screening
Original Research
Veterans
030505 public health
business.industry
Trauma center
030208 emergency & critical care medicine
General Medicine
Emergency department
Pennsylvania
Emergency Department Access
Health Surveys
United States
Government Programs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Ill-Housed Persons
Emergency Medicine
Housing
Female
0305 other medical science
business
Emergency Service, Hospital
Demography
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19369018 and 1936900X
- Volume :
- 18
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b5974ea1aad840cfed85957a9c41fcf5