Linking emergency department patients experiencing homelessness to primary care

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This quasi-experimental equivalent time sample study enrolls adult ED patients experiencing unsheltered homelessness who require short-term follow-up for conditions such as pneumonia, COPD/asthma exacerbation, wound or diabetic infections, dehydration, burns, pregnancy, or opioid overdose. Eligible patients discharged from Denver Health ED will be allocated to either routine referral to the Comprehensive Care Clinic or enhanced outreach by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless Stout Street medicine team, which locates and provides primary care on the street. Investigators will compare primary care follow-up rates at 1 and 3 months and secondary outcomes including subsequent ED visits, hospitalizations, and mortality using Denver Health and CCH electronic health records plus the regional health information exchange (CORHIO). The study tests whether street-based follow-up increases engagement with primary care after ED discharge.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. adult (≥18 years of age) DHMC ED patient,
2. currently unsheltered, defined as living on the streets, in a vehicle, or in another place not fit for human habitation,
3. anticipating ED discharge, with
4. a diagnosis listed below that requires short-term follow up:

   * COPD or asthma exacerbation
   * Bacterial or viral pneumonia
   * CHF with volume overload
   * SSTI
   * Dehydration requiring IV fluids
   * Hyperglycemia secondary to DM
   * Frostbite
   * First- and second-degree burns
   * Bacterial ENT infections
   * Diabetic foot infection
   * Traumatic head injury
   * Pregnancy
   * Opioid overdose
5. a stable location (i.e., an intersection, landmark, or encampment where they can be located by the street medicine team) within Denver County for at least 2 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. have altered mentation (e.g., intoxication, or secondary to medical, psychiatric, or behavioral conditions) that are unable to communicate their location, contact information, or agree to follow up.
2. are prisoners,
3. previously enrolled.

Where it's running

• Denver Health Medical Center
  Denver, Colorado, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Kathleen M Joseph, MD MPH
• Email: kathleen.joseph@dhha.org
• Phone: 13175194468

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.