Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40876883›Full record

Trial reportBMJ open2025

Exploring the feasibility of conducting a multisite randomised controlled trial of the healthy and HomED model of care and its impact on representations among people experiencing homelessness in an Australian Emergency Department.

Jane Currie, Claire Doherty, Jennie Hutton, Alejandro Vasquez-Hernandez, Paisley Suggett, Andrew Chan, Hayley Pepper, Jed Duff, Lee Jones

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jane CurrieSchool of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia jane.currie@qut.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8721-089X
Claire DohertyHealthcare for the Homeless Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Jennie HuttonEmergency Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Alejandro Vasquez-HernandezHomeless Health Service, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7111-3027
Paisley SuggettHealthcare for the Homeless Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Andrew ChanHealthcare for the Homeless Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Hayley PepperHealthcare for the Homeless Department, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia.
Jed DuffSchool of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Lee JonesSchool of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo determine the feasibility of conducting a multisite randomised controlled trial of the Healthy and HomED model of care to determine its capacity to reduce emergency department (ED) representations among people experiencing homelessness.

designFeasibility randomised controlled trial with process evaluation.

settingSingle site public metropolitan ED.

participantsOur goal was to recruit 204 adults experiencing homelessness attending ED. In total, 190 participants were enrolled. The final sample comprised n=101 control and n=86 intervention.

interventionsThe Healthy and HomED model of care comprises screening for homelessness, assessing unmet needs via the Homeless Health Access to Care Tool and a Decision Assistance Guide that informs care planning. The intervention was applied by the Assessment Liaison Early Referral Team (ALERT), an ED-based multidisciplinary team specialised in supporting underserved populations.

main outcome measuresClinician acceptability of the implementation of the model of care, improved identification of homelessness and a reduction in ED representations within 28 days among people experiencing homelessness.

resultsImplementation of the Healthy and HomED model of care was feasible to the ALERT clinicians and the research team. While the Healthy and HomED did not significantly reduce representations to the ED, it improved the identification of homelessness by a third (35.3%). Qualitative findings suggest that the Homeless Health Access to Care Tool provided helpful standardisation to assessments. The Decision Assistance Guide was seldom added to the plan of care for senior clinicians but was reportedly helpful to junior clinicians with less experience in homeless healthcare.

conclusionsThe study provided assurance that running a multicentre hybrid trial to test the effectiveness and implementation of the Healthy and HomED is feasible. Process evaluation found that intervention adherence could be improved with greater contextualisation to local resources and increased engagement from ED medical and nursing teams. These factors could be addressed through the codesign of a future multisite trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ANZCTR 12622001085763.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalHealth Services AccessibilityIll-Housed PersonsAdultAustraliaFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedEmergency DepartmentsFeasibility StudiesHealth Services AccessibilityVulnerable Populations

Identifiers

PMID40876883
PMCPMC12410669

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.