Nicholas David B, Newton Amanda S, Calhoun Avery, Dong Kathryn, deJong-Berg Margaret A, Hamilton Faye, Kilmer Christopher, McLaughlin Anne Marie, Shankar Janki
University of Calgary, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Qual Health Res. 2016 May;26(6):851-62. doi: 10.1177/1049732315577605. Epub 2015 Mar 31.
Street-involved (SI) youth comprise a substantial component of the urban homeless population. Despite being significant users of hospital emergency department (ED) services for acute and ongoing health needs, little is known about their experiences of ED care and the factors affecting their ED use. This study used a grounded theory and community-based approach to examine these issues. Focus groups and individual interviews were facilitated with 48 SI youth between ages 15 and 26 years, recruited in hospital or through community agencies serving SI youth in a major Western Canadian city. Results demonstrate that SI youth often perceived suboptimal care and experienced long waiting periods that led to many avoiding or prematurely exiting the ED. Service gaps appeared to have a negative bearing on their care and health outcomes. Findings invite a critical review of ED care processes, structures, and staff interactions in the aim of enhancing ED services to SI youth.
街头流浪青年占城市无家可归人口的很大一部分。尽管他们因急性和持续的健康需求而大量使用医院急诊科服务，但对于他们在急诊科的就医体验以及影响其使用急诊科的因素却知之甚少。本研究采用扎根理论和基于社区的方法来审视这些问题。对48名年龄在15至26岁之间的街头流浪青年进行了焦点小组讨论和个人访谈，这些青年是在医院招募的，或者是通过加拿大西部一个主要城市中为街头流浪青年服务的社区机构招募的。结果表明，街头流浪青年常常觉得得到的护理不够理想，并且经历过长时间等待，这导致许多人避开急诊科或过早离开。服务差距似乎对他们的护理和健康结果产生了负面影响。研究结果促使人们对急诊科的护理流程、结构和工作人员互动进行批判性审视，以期改善为街头流浪青年提供的急诊科服务。
