Su Kimberly Y, Feldman Brett J, Feldman Corinne T, Saluja Sonali, Coulourides Kogan Alexis M, Cousineau Michael R
Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Community Ment Health J. 2024 Feb;60(2):283-291. doi: 10.1007/s10597-023-01169-z. Epub 2023 Aug 1.
Mental health and substance use disorders are prevalent among people experiencing homelessness. Street Medicine can reach unhoused people who face barriers to accessing healthcare in more traditional medical settings including shelter-based clinics. However, there is little guidance on best practices for mental health and substance use treatment through Street Medicine. The aim of the study was to describe behavioral health care through Street Medicine by analyzing data from the California Street Medicine Landscape survey and follow-up qualitative interviews. Most street medicine programs utilize non-psychiatrists to diagnose and treat mental health and substance use disorders, though the capacity to provide the level of care needed varies. There is a lack of street-based psychiatric clinicians and programs have difficulty making referrals to mental health and addiction services. This report shows that Street Medicine could serve as a strategy to expand access to behavioral health care for the unhoused.
心理健康和物质使用障碍在无家可归者中很普遍。街头医疗可以接触到那些在包括庇护所诊所在内的更传统医疗环境中获得医疗保健面临障碍的无家可归者。然而，关于通过街头医疗进行心理健康和物质使用治疗的最佳实践几乎没有指导意见。该研究的目的是通过分析加利福尼亚街头医疗概况调查的数据和后续定性访谈来描述通过街头医疗提供的行为医疗保健。大多数街头医疗项目利用非精神科医生来诊断和治疗心理健康和物质使用障碍，尽管提供所需护理水平的能力各不相同。缺乏街头精神科临床医生，项目在转介到心理健康和成瘾服务方面存在困难。本报告表明，街头医疗可以作为一种策略，扩大为无家可归者提供行为医疗保健的机会。
