title: Needing Primary Care But Not Getting It: The Role of Trust, Stigma and Organizational Obstacles reported by Homeless Veterans.
abstract: We describe data from a multi-center community-based survey of homeless veterans who were not accessing available primary care to identify reasons for not getting this care as well as for not seeking health care when it was needed. Overall, 185 homeless veterans were interviewed: The average age was 48.7 years (SD 10.8), 94.6% were male, 43.2% were from a minority population. The majority identified a recent need for care and interest in having a primary care provider. Reasons for delaying care fell into three domains: 1) trust; 2) stigma; and 3) care processes. Identifying a place for care (OR 3.3; 95% CI: 1.4-7.7), having a medical condition (OR 5.5; 95% CI 1.9-15.4) and having depression (OR 3.4; 95% CI: 1.4-8.7) were associated with receiving care while not being involved in care decisions was associated with no care (OR 0.7; 95% CI 0.5-0.9). Our findings support the importance of considering health access within an expanded framework that includes perceived stigma, inflexible care systems and trust issues.
authors: Thomas P
authors: TP
authors: O'Toole
authors: Erin E
authors: EE
authors: Johnson
authors: Stephan
authors: S
authors: Redihan
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Borgia
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Rose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006306:Health Surveys; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011446:Prospective Studies; D036301:Qualitative Research; D057545:Social Stigma; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult