Medellin Teresa, Moczygemba Leticia R, Thurman Whitney
College of Pharmacy, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
School of Nursing, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Dec 4;21(12):1623. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121623.
Street medicine is a health delivery model designed to provide direct patient care to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness where they are physically located, whether that be on the streets or in encampments. The model has developed in response to the barriers people experiencing homelessness (PEH) encounter when accessing care through traditional points of access such as primary care clinics. Street medicine programs are rapidly emerging across the United States (U.S.) in response to the health needs and challenges associated with care access and coordination for unsheltered homeless individuals. Although street medicine is a rapidly growing field, existing street medicine programs have rarely been studied collectively, limiting our understanding of the nature, scope, and range of street medicine programs in the U.S. This study examined 13 programs from across the U.S. to develop a broad characterization of street medicine programs. Results from interviews with representatives from each of the 13 programs show that there is a high degree of variability among the structure, operations, and scope of care of street medicine programs. However, consistent among street medicine programs is the adoption of a patient-centered approach to care and the use of harm-reduction principles. Street medicine programs are also highly engaged with community partners and affiliate organizations that work in their local and regional areas. Because street medicine programs often serve as a bridge between formal healthcare entities and PEH, street medicine offers a strategy for reconnecting individuals to vital healthcare services.
街头医疗是一种医疗服务模式，旨在为无家可归者提供直接的医疗护理，无论他们身处街头还是营地。这种模式的发展是为了应对无家可归者在通过传统医疗途径（如初级保健诊所）获取医疗服务时遇到的障碍。为了满足无家可归者的健康需求以及应对与无家可归者医疗服务获取和协调相关的挑战，美国各地迅速涌现出街头医疗项目。尽管街头医疗是一个快速发展的领域，但现有的街头医疗项目很少被综合研究，这限制了我们对美国街头医疗项目的性质、范围和规模的理解。本研究调查了美国各地的13个项目，以对街头医疗项目进行全面描述。对这13个项目的代表进行访谈的结果表明，街头医疗项目在结构、运营和护理范围方面存在很大差异。然而，街头医疗项目的共同点是采用以患者为中心的护理方法和减少伤害原则。街头医疗项目还与当地和地区的社区合作伙伴及附属组织密切合作。由于街头医疗项目通常充当正规医疗实体与无家可归者之间的桥梁，街头医疗为使个人重新获得重要医疗服务提供了一种策略。
