title: Changing attitudes toward homeless people.
abstract: We assessed the impact of a 2-week required rotation in homeless health care on primary care residents' attitudes toward homeless people. Attitudes were assessed before and after the course using the Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory (ATHI), an instrument previously validated among undergraduate students. Attitude scores on the ATHI improved from 46 to 52 (range of possible scores 11 to 66; P =.001). The ATHI subscales showed, after the course, that residents had a greater belief that homelessness had societal causes and felt more comfortable affiliating with homeless people. After the course, residents also reported an increased interest in volunteering with homeless populations on an anonymous survey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, John Stroger Hospital of Cook County/Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. David_Buchanan@rush.edu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rohr
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kehoe
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Glick
authors.forename: Sharad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jain
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D007396:Internship and Residency; D011581:Psychological Tests