Providing health care to the homeless is what these nurses do best

Weber, writer of “A Systematic Review of Nurse-led Interventions with Populations Exeriencing Homelessness,” published January/February 2019 in Public Health NursingNurse-led health care models for the homeless improve outcomes, science has found. Jillian J. Weber, RN “Research shows that nurse-led interventions are effective in engaging patients experiencing homelessness in positive health-seeking behaviors, such as smoking cessation and medication adherence. Nurses are effective in helping patients reduce risky behaviors, including risky sexual behavior and marijuana use. The work that nurses do with the homeless has been shown to improve patients’ quality of life overall, Weber said.

Growing need for health care for the homeless

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates homelessness in terms of points in time (PIT). The most recent pre-pandemic numbers released in January 2020 showed that in 2020, 580,466 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night, a 2.2% increase from 2019. The number of homeless people living in streets and other areas unsuitable for habitation compared to homeless people staying in shelters increased by 7%, according to HUD. “Based on what we know about the pandemic — job losses, illnesses, the expiration of eviction moratoriums — the number of people at risk of homelessness in 2021 will likely be higher,” Weber said. According to Weber, people experiencing homelessness generally need a holistic approach to care. This includes meeting patients’ physical, mental, psychosocial and emotional needs. This includes interested by social determinants of health, including employment, hygiene and barriers to access corresponding to transportation, Weber continued. “Nurse-led health clinics that take a holistic approach to care have been shown to improve patient satisfaction, reduce health-related costs and increase access to care,” Weber said. “Placing RNs and advanced practice nurses in these clinics ensures optimal health outcomes. They provide case management, counseling and give patients the opportunity to ask questions, leading to an openness that builds trust.” Building trust is crucial to the effective care of those patients, said Patricia Obulaney, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, associate professor of clinical affairs on the University of Houston College of Nursing.

“It’s kind of like saying, ‘If you build it [trust]they will come,” said Obulaney, who runs the brand new University of Houston Nursing Health Clinic that serves homeless patients in Houston. “In the homeless community, patients need to know that we will be kind and respectful to them as individuals. Once you build trust, you build relationships with patients and word spreads.”

Obulaney, RN and receptionist work at the brand new University of Houston College of Nursing Health Clinic. Because nurse practitioners are usually not fully licensed to practice in Texas, the first care practice is staffed by an associate physician. She said she has been seeing patients with hypertension in addition to fatigue because the clinic opened in September. In the homeless population, the patient could also be exhausted because she or he suffers from anemia resulting from poor nutrition, she added. “I saw patients for scratches. I saw a patient with a tibial fracture who had been dealing with it for three weeks and couldn’t give him the care he needed,” said Obulaney, also a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). “So we take advantage of the resources that are available in our community.” These resources include access to dental, vision and other specialty care, mental health services, meals and way more. Obulaney said she hopes to encourage more patients to practice preventive medicine.

“This week, two patients said, ‘I’m here because I want to get healthier,’” Obulaney said. “I love that I can provide preventive care and a lot of teaching. “That’s what’s most important for nurses – talking to patients about how smoking affects their lives, how drinking affects their lives, how street drugs can affect their health and their bodies.”

According to Weber, in the context of the pandemic, nurses and nurse-led programs are needed to increase vaccination rates in this vulnerable population. According to a study published in the journal, “Nursing care would likely be valuable to the success of the vaccination program, given that case management and tracking by nurses is critical to ensuring homeless patients’ compliance with the obligation to complete the six-month series of hepatitis A and B vaccines “. Nursing research. The nurse-led mobile vaccination service is another example of an effective approach to reaching vulnerable populations with flu vaccines. Year 2018 test Australian researchers concluded that a nurse-led model, in which vaccines are delivered to vulnerable populations, is an important strategy to maximize vaccine uptake.

First steps

Weber said providing health care to the homeless is valuable and rewarding, but still a challenge. “I think one of the biggest challenges for nurses is practice flexibility – the ability to understand the prioritization of needs in this population,” she said. “Any person can have high blood pressure, but it may not be a priority that day. Priority needs may be food, shelter and safety rather than refilling blood pressure medications.” Nurses also must keep an open mind about what these patients face that others may not see, corresponding to exposure to extreme cold within the winter or extreme heat in the summertime.

“One of the most important roles of nurses providing care to people experiencing homelessness is to be an advocate and give a voice to this population – advocating for the patient’s needs based on the individual, not the entire population,” Weber said.

Nurses who construct trust with patients can see them make healthier decisions or transition from living on the streets to maintaining everlasting housing. “But there are clear difficulties,” Weber said. “You can’t save everyone.” Nurses who’re interested by devoting their practice to health take care of the homeless might start by volunteering, Weber suggests. Homeless shelters, soup kitchens and nursing organizations are sometimes searching for volunteers able to help, she added.

Take courses related to this text:

Homelessness continues to be a major problem within the United States. The care of this population is complicated by serious mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Emergency departments, clinics, and mental health centers are sometimes places where homeless people seek care or are delivered to care by law enforcement or social service employees. Health care professionals working in these settings have to be knowledgeable concerning the complex issues involved in caring for homeless individuals and, more importantly, the resources available to assist this population.

This course provides an objective evaluation of the challenges related to the Covid19 vaccine and its acceptance by healthcare professionals.

Another drug problem in America is poor medication adherence. This issue is attracting attention, leading to essential reports and literature corresponding to adherence to long-term therapies from the World Health Organization. About 50% of patients don’t take medications as prescribed. Poor compliance with medical recommendations may result in unnecessary disease progression and complications. Nurses can positively influence medication adherence throughout the health care system during hospitalization, after discharge, in clinics/offices, and in the neighborhood. There is a knowledge deficit within the health service concerning the causes of non-compliance with medical recommendations. It is significant to know the causes of medication nonadherence and methods to assist improve medication adherence.