Observational studyBMC musculoskeletal disorders2026
Orthopedic conditions and treatment patterns among unhoused urban patients: a street medicine study.
Observational study in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Recommended Cardiometabolic Screening Guidelines for Unhoused Adults: A Street Medicine Needs Assessment.Clinics and practice · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUnhoused individuals experience a high burden of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions but often face barriers to traditional healthcare. Street Medicine Phoenix (SMP) is a mobile healthcare initiative composed of medical students and physicians providing free medical screenings to this population. This study aims to characterize the prevalence, demographic distribution, and treatment of orthopedic conditions among unhoused patients in an urban street medicine program.
methodsThis retrospective observational study analyzed patient encounters from August 2023 to August 2024, collected by SMP in Phoenix, Arizona. Orthopedic conditions were identified through review of Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan (SOAP) notes from 1,193 adult patient encounters. Diagnoses were categorized into clinical MSK types. Treatments included pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-squared tests were used to assess differences by age and sex. Results are reported with 95% confidence intervals.
resultsOf 1,193 encounters, 228 (19.1%) involved orthopedic issues. The mean age of patients with MSK conditions was 50.2 years (95% CI: 48.9–51.5); 33.6% identified as female. The most common diagnoses were trauma-related injuries (35.1%; n = 80), joint pain (29.4%; n = 67), and chronic pain (21.9%; n = 50). A statistically significant age difference was observed between patients with trauma and arthritis (p < 0.05). Oral NSAIDs were the most common treatment ((19.3%; n = 59), followed by wound care kits (13.4%; n = 41), acetaminophen (11.5%; n = 35), and bracing (10.5%; n = 32). No significant differences in treatment rates by sex were identified.
conclusionsOrthopedic conditions are prevalent among unhoused individuals and represent a major source of morbidity. Mobile care models like SMP provide effective, immediate treatment using accessible modalities. Low-barrier treatments—particularly oral NSAIDs and durable medical equipment (DME: defined as boots, braces, walkers, crutches etc.)—represent feasible and effective interventions that improve pain and function in vulnerable populations with limited access to traditional care pathways. This study underscores the need for scalable MSK interventions and provides a data-driven framework for improving orthopedic care among unhoused populations.
trial registrationNot applicable.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.