Adapting Your Practice: General Recommendations for the Care of Homeless Patients

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Description

This tool is intended for health care professionals, students, and ancillary personnel who have minimal experience working with homeless patients.

Recognizing that standard clinical practice guidelines often fail to take into consideration the unique health care challenges faced by displaced people, the Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network convened an advisory committee comprised of six health and social service providers to develop standards for the optimal care of people who are homeless or marginally housed. This 45-page guide includes the following sections:

Summary
- Homelessness and health care: Fundamental issues
- Summary of recommendations
Diagnosis and evaluation
- History
- Physical examination
- Diagnostic tests
Plan and management
- Plan of care
- Education, self-management
- Medications
- Associated problems, complications
- Followup
Model of care
- Service delivery design
- Outreach and engagement
- Standard of care
Case studies
- Homeless adult
- Homeless adolescent
- Homeless child
References and resources (including primary sources, suggested resources, and related Web sites)

Links to the Tool:

This tool is available at: http://www.nhchc.org/Publications/6.1.04GenHomelessRecsFINAL.pdf (If you don't have the software to open this PDF, download free Adobe Acrobat Reader® software.)

Developer

Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network

Funding Sources

Health Resources and Services Administration

QualityTool Topic

Guideline-Related; Prevention and Wellness; Quality Improvement Strategies

Related Resources

Links to National Guideline Clearinghouse or National Quality Measures Clearinghouse:

This tool is derived from the following guideline in the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC): Adapting Your Practice: General Recommendations for the Care of Homeless Patients available at:
http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=15&doc_id=5272&nbr=3599

History

Release Date: 01/2004
Original Summary: 07/2006

Disclaimer: The inclusion of a tool in the Innovations Exchange does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or Westat of the tool or of the submitter or developer of the tool. Read more.

QualityTool Classification

Patient Population:		Vulnerable Populations > Children; Disabled (developmentally); Homeless; Illiterate/Low-literate; Impoverished; Medically uninsured; Mentally ill; Non-English speaking/limited English proficiency; Racial minorities; Substance abusers
Stage of Care:		Primary care; Acute care; Acute on chronic care (i.e. an acute condition resulting from underlying chronic disease); Chronic care; Urgent care; Emergency care
Setting of Care:		Ambulatory Setting > Physician office (individual), Physician office (group practice); Public health clinic; Hospital Inpatient - Hospital Type > Teaching hospital
Patient Care Process:		Preventive Care Processes > Immunizations; Screening; Primary prevention; Active Care Processes: Diagnosis and Treatment > Assessment; Behavioral or mental health therapy; Chronic-disease management; Medication: ordering, transcription, administration, dispensing; After Care Processes > Follow-up care; Care Management Processes > Coordination of care; Patient-Focused Processes/Psychosocial Care > Improving patient self-management; Outreach to patients; Patient education; Provider-patient communication; Population Health Processes > Disparities reduction; Improving access to care
IOM Domains of Quality:		Effectiveness; Equity
QualityTool Format:		Workbook/Manual/Guide
QualityTool Topic:		Guideline-Related; Prevention and Wellness; Quality Improvement Strategies
Developer:		Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network
Funding Sources:		Health Resources and Services Administration

Last updated: April 14, 2008.