Observational studyBMJ open2017
Usage of unscheduled hospital care by homeless individuals in Dublin, Ireland: a cross-sectional study.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- What are the functionalities and features of mobile health record apps supporting persons experiencing social exclusion? A systematic literature review.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Pooled it
- Physical functioning limitations and physical activity of people experiencing homelessness: A scoping review.HRB open research · 2020Pooled it
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- Inflammatory bowel disease outcomes among hospitalized homeless individuals.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Article
- Improving access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness: evidence from a scoping review of interventions.Health & justice · 2025Review
- Evaluating referrals to three urban specialist mental health services for people experiencing homelessness over a 1-year period.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2025Article
- Outcomes 10 Years After Implementing an Emergency Department Opt-out Bloodborne Virus Screening Program.Open forum infectious diseases · 2025Article
- People experiencing homelessness requiring psychiatric review in prison, a study of a male and female remand prison over 1 year period.Irish journal of medical science · 2025Article
- Are tailored primary care services for social inclusion good value for money? A health economics evaluation with Monte-Carlo probabilistic sensitivity analysis comparing tailored social inclusion primary care services to mainstream primary care services for socially excluded people.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Factors influencing the length of hospital stay of people experiencing homelessness.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Secondary care for people experiencing homelessness in Scotland: a retrospective cohort study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
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- Syndemics in women's health: poverty, social exclusion, and clustering of thrombotic and hemostasis disorders.Research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis · 2024Article
- Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of concurrent VTE diagnosis in hospitalised socially excluded individuals in Ireland.BMJ open · 2024Article
- How is equity captured for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer incidence and screening in the Republic of Ireland: A review.Preventive medicine reports · 2023Review
- How do health system factors (funding and performance) impact on access to healthcare for populations experiencing homelessness: a realist evaluation.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
- Barriers and facilitators to health care access for people experiencing homelessness in four European countries: an exploratory qualitative study.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesHomeless people lack a secure, stable place to live and experience higher rates of serious illness than the housed population. Studies, mainly from the USA, have reported increased use of unscheduled healthcare by homeless individuals.We sought to compare the use of unscheduled emergency department (ED) and inpatient care between housed and homeless hospital patients in a high-income European setting in Dublin, Ireland.
settingA large university teaching hospital serving the south inner city in Dublin, Ireland. Patient data are collected on an electronic patient record within the hospital.
participantsWe carried out an observational cross-sectional study using data on all ED visits (n=47 174) and all unscheduled admissions under the general medical take (n=7031) in 2015. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The address field of the hospital's electronic patient record was used to identify patients living in emergency accommodation or rough sleeping (hereafter referred to as homeless). Data on demographic details, length of stay and diagnoses were extracted.
resultsIn comparison with housed individuals in the hospital catchment area, homeless individuals had higher rates of ED attendance (0.16 attendances per person/annum vs 3.0 attendances per person/annum, respectively) and inpatient bed days (0.3 vs 4.4 bed days/person/annum). The rate of leaving ED before assessment was higher in homeless individuals (40% of ED attendances vs 15% of ED attendances in housed individuals). The mean age of homeless medical inpatients was 44.19 years (95% CI 42.98 to 45.40), whereas that of housed patients was 61.20 years (95% CI 60.72 to 61.68). Homeless patients were more likely to terminate an inpatient admission against medical advice (15% of admissions vs 2% of admissions in homeless individuals).
conclusionHomeless patients represent a significant proportion of ED attendees and medical inpatients. In contrast to housed patients, the bulk of usage of unscheduled care by homeless people occurs in individuals aged 25-65 years.
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