A primary care approach to treating women without homes.
Medical practitioners are encountering more women who are presently or formerly homeless. Homelessness negatively affects health and health outcomes. Women without homes experience repeated violence and trauma. In this review, the definition and scope of homelessness as it impacts women is discussed, from the etiology of women's homelessness to a description of their lifestyle. A paradigm of a primary care approach to understanding and treating women without homes is presented, including strategies for history taking, physical exams, and follow-up care that help build trust and improve compliance.
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Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010808:Physical Examination; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D014481:United States; D014932:Women's Health Services