Prioritizing Patient Perspectives When Designing Intervention Studies for Homeless Older Adults. (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Canham, Sarah L.; Bosma, Harvey; Palepu, Anita; Small, Scott; Danielsen, Chris
• Other Names: Baines Donna guest-editor.; Lai Daniel guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Research on social work practice. Volume 31:Number 6(2021)
• Page Start: 610
• Page End: 620
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: homeless -- hospital -- hospital discharge -- medical respite; Social service -- Periodicals; 361.3205
• DOI: 10.1177/1049731521995558
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1049-7315

Abstract

Purpose: Medical respite provides postacute care to people experiencing homelessness upon hospital discharge if they are too sick to recover on the streets or in a traditional shelter. The current study examined the feasibility of conducting a study to test the effectiveness of a medical respite intervention for older people experiencing homelessness. Methods: Fifteen patient and 11 provider participants were interviewed between July and November 2018. Results: Participants' considerations for how to design a program of research included (1) desired qualities of researchers; (2) preferences for study design; (3) mechanisms for participant recruitment and retention; (4) what, where, and how to collect data; and (5) barriers and motivations to participation. Conclusions: Findings from this study build on an emerging research base on how to appropriately engage vulnerable patient groups, including older people experiencing homelessness, in trauma-informed research by including peer researchers on research teams to serve as advisors throughout the research process.