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Multimorbidity among People Experiencing Homelessness—Insights from Primary Care Data

Author

Listed:
  • Shannen Vallesi

    (School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia)

  • Matthew Tuson

    (UWA Medical School, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia
    School of Physics, Mathematics and Computing, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia)

  • Andrew Davies

    (Homeless Healthcare, Highgate 6003, Australia)

  • Lisa Wood

    (School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia)

Abstract

Background: Although the poor health of people experiencing homelessness is increasingly recognised in health discourse, there is a dearth of research that has quantified the nature and magnitude of chronic health issues and morbidity among people experiencing homelessness, particularly in the Australian context. Methods: Analysis of the medical records of 2068 “active” patients registered with a specialist homeless health service in Perth, Western Australia as of 31 December 2019. Results: Overall, 67.8% of patients had at least one chronic physical health condition, 67.5% had at least one mental health condition, and 61.6% had at least one alcohol or other drug (AOD) use disorder. Nearly half (47.8%) had a dual diagnosis of mental health and AOD use issues, and over a third (38.1%) were tri-morbid (mental health, AOD and physical health condition). Three-quarters (74.9%) were multimorbid or had at least two long-term conditions (LTCs), and on average, each patient had 3.3 LTCs. Conclusions: The study findings have substantial implications from both a health risk and healthcare treatment perspective for people experiencing homeless. The pervasiveness of preventable health conditions among people experiencing homelessness also highlights the imperative to improve the accessibility of public health programs and screening to reduce their morbidity and premature mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Shannen Vallesi & Matthew Tuson & Andrew Davies & Lisa Wood, 2021. "Multimorbidity among People Experiencing Homelessness—Insights from Primary Care Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-16, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:12:p:6498-:d:575907
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amanda Stafford & Lisa Wood, 2017. "Tackling Health Disparities for People Who Are Homeless? Start with Social Determinants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Christopher Harrison & Joan Henderson & Graeme Miller & Helena Britt, 2017. "The prevalence of diagnosed chronic conditions and multimorbidity in Australia: A method for estimating population prevalence from general practice patient encounter data," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Baggett, T.P. & O'Connell, J.J. & Singer, D.E. & Rigotti, N.A., 2010. "The unmet health care needs of homeless adults: A national study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(7), pages 1326-1333.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chris O'Leary & Ligia Teixeira & Esther Coren & Zsolt Kiss & Anton Roberts & Harry Amitage, 2022. "PROTOCOL: The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for reducing problematic substance use, improving mental health, and improving housing stability for adults experiencing homelessness: A syste," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(4), December.
    2. Jane Currie & Amanda Stafford & Jennie Hutton & Lisa Wood, 2023. "Optimising Access to Healthcare for Patients Experiencing Homelessness in Hospital Emergency Departments," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-8, January.
    3. Hajira Dambha-Miller & Sukhmani Cheema & Nile Saunders & Glenn Simpson, 2022. "Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) and the Environment: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-10, September.
    4. Kate Frazer & Thilo Kroll, 2022. "Understanding and Tackling the Complex Challenges of Homelessness and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-3, March.
    5. Chris O'Leary & Rob Ralphs & Jennifer Stevenson & Andrew Smith & Jordan Harrison & Zsolt Kiss & Harry Armitage, 2024. "The effectiveness of abstinence‐based and harm reduction‐based interventions in reducing problematic substance use in adults who are experiencing homelessness in high income countries: A systematic re," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), June.
    6. Chris O'Leary & Anton Roberts & Ligia Teixeira & Esther Coren, 2022. "PROTOCOL: The experiences of adults experiencing homelessness when accessing and using psychosocial interventions: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(4), December.

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