Healthcare barriers among severely mentally ill homeless adults: evidence from the five-site health and risk study.
Few studies have examined barriers to physical and mental healthcare among homeless mentally adults.


METHODS
This study examined physical and mental healthcare barriers reported by 154 recently homeless mentally ill persons.


RESULTS
Practical concerns (e.g. transportation and cost) were key components of barriers to accessing general medical care among uninsured men with poorer overall mental health, PTSD, and STD infections. Perceived stigma was an important component of mental healthcare barriers reported most frequently by those with greater psychiatric symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
Focusing on individual characteristics underlying barriers to healthcare may lead to better interventions for improving access to needed care.
Kim
Mimi M
MM
Services Effectiveness Research Program in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Brightleaf Square Suite 23-A, 905 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27710, USA. mimi.kim@duke.edu
Swanson
Jeffrey W
JW
Swartz
Marvin S
MS
Bradford
Daniel W
DW
Mustillo
Sarah A
SA
Elbogen
Eric B
EB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States