ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2021
GPS Mobile Health Intervention Among People Experiencing Homelessness: Pre-Post Study.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Interactive Care Coordination and Navigation mHealth Intervention for People Experiencing Homelessness: Cost Analysis, Exploratory Financial Cost-Benefit Analysis, and Budget Impact Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- The Implementation of a GPS-Based Location-Tracking Smartphone App in South Africa to Improve Engagement in HIV Care: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Trial
- Improving access to healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness: evidence from a scoping review of interventions.Health & justice · 2025Review
- Attending to the Mental Health of People Who Are Homeless by Mobile Telephone Follow-Up: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Multilevel Determinants of Digital Health Equity: A Literature Synthesis to Advance the Field.Annual review of public health · 2023Review
- Smartphone Technology to Empower People Experiencing Homelessness: Secondary Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeople experiencing homelessness are at risk for gaps in care after an emergency department (ED) or hospital visit, which leads to increased use, poor health outcomes, and high health care costs. Most people experiencing homelessness have a mobile phone of some type, which makes mobile health (mHealth) interventions a feasible way to connect a person experiencing homelessness with providers.
objectiveThis study aims to investigate the accuracy, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a GPS-enabled mHealth (GPS-mHealth) intervention designed to alert community health paramedics when people experiencing homelessness are in the ED or hospital.
methodsThis study was a pre-post design with baseline and 4-month postenrollment assessments. People experiencing homelessness, taking at least 2 medications for chronic conditions, scoring at least 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and having at least 2 ED or hospital visits in the previous 6 months were eligible. Participants were issued a study smartphone with a GPS app programmed to alert a community health paramedic when a participant entered an ED or hospital. For each alert, community health paramedics followed up via telephone to assess care coordination needs. Participants also received a daily email to assess medication adherence. GPS alerts were compared with ED and hospital data from the local health information exchange (HIE) to assess accuracy. Paired t tests compared scores on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and Adherence Starts with Knowledge-12 adherence survey at baseline and exit. Semistructured exit interviews examined the perceptions and benefits of the intervention.
resultsIn total, 30 participants were enrolled; the mean age was 44.1 (SD 9.7) years. Most participants were male (20/30, 67%), White (17/30, 57%), and not working (19/30, 63%). Only 19% (3/16) of the ED or hospital visit alerts aligned with HIE data, mainly because of patients not having the smartphone with them during the visit, the smartphone being off, and gaps in GPS technology. There was a significant difference in depressive symptoms between baseline (mean 16.9, SD 5.8) and exit (mean 12.7, SD 8.2; t
conclusionsmHealth interventions are acceptable to people experiencing homelessness. HIE data provided more accurate ED and hospital visit information; however, unlimited access to reliable communication provided benefits to participants beyond the study purpose of improving care coordination.
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