Homeless health care: meeting the challenges of providing primary care

Davies, Andrew; Wood, Lisa J

doi:10.5694/mja17.01264

ARTICLE
AUTHORS
REFERENCES

Topics

Social determinants of health

General medicine

Summary

People experiencing homelessness have multiple complex health conditions yet are typically disengaged from primary health care services and place a significant burden on the acute health system.
Barriers preventing people who are homeless from accessing primary care can be both personal and practical and include competing needs and priorities, illness and poor health, physical access to health services, difficulty in contacting services, medication security, and the affordability of health care. Differences in social status and perceptions of being judged can lead to relationship barriers to accessing primary care.
Key solutions include prioritising access to stable housing, continuity of health care, specialised homeless general practice, hospital inreach, discharge planning and coordinated care, general practice outreach, and medical recovery centres.

1 Homeless Healthcare, Perth, WA
2 University of Western Australia, Perth, WA

Correspondence: andrew.davies@hhc.org.au

Acknowledgements:

We thank Angela Gazey, Nuala Chapple and Jake Smith from the School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, for their assistance in the preparation of this publication.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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Homeless health care: meeting the challenges of providing primary care

Topics

Summary

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