title: Opportunities for engaging low-income, vulnerable populations in health care: a systematic review of homeless persons' access to and use of information technologies.
abstract: We systematically reviewed the health and social science literature on access to and use of information technologies by homeless persons by searching 5 bibliographic databases. Articles were included if they were in English, represented original research, appeared in peer-reviewed publications, and addressed our research questions. Sixteen articles met our inclusion criteria. We found that mobile phone ownership ranged from 44% to 62%; computer ownership, from 24% to 40%; computer access and use, from 47% to 55%; and Internet use, from 19% to 84%. Homeless persons used technologies for a range of purposes, some of which were health related. Many homeless persons had access to information technologies, suggesting possible health benefits to developing programs that link homeless persons to health care through mobile phones and the Internet.
authors.affiliation: D. Keith McInnes and Timothy P. Hogan are with the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes, and Economic Research, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center, Bedford, MA. D. Keith McInnes is also with the Department of Health Policy and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Timothy P. Hogan is also with the eHealth Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI), National eHealth QUERI Coordinating Center, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center, and the Division of Health Informatics and Implementation Science, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester. Alice E. Li is with Amherst College, Amherst, MA.
authors.forename: D Keith
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: McInnes
authors.forename: Alice E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Hogan
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003201:Computers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*