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Call for papers - Health services for people experiencing homelessness

Guest Editors

Megan Armstrong, PhD, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Cécile Vuillermoz, PhD, Inserm - the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, France

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 30 August 2024

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Health services for people experiencing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness have poorer health than the general population. This heterogeneous population shows higher mortality, a higher prevalence of infections, cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, premature aging, frailty, commonly faces multi-morbidity and chronic conditions, and is disproportionately affected by a range of mental health issues. We welcome original research, systematic and scoping reviews addressing but not limited to: barriers and facilitators, innovative service models, primary and preventative medicine, complex and integrated care for chronic diseases and multi-morbidities, mental health and substance use, health equity and social determinants, policy implications, and specialized health workforce, including collaborative partnerships for comprehensive healthcare solutions.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being and SDG 11: Sustainable cities & communities.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Megan Armstrong, PhD, Queen Mary University of London, UK

Dr Megan Armstrong is a lecturer at the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). She is a mixed method researcher interested in include reducing health inequalities, self-management of long-term conditions, and improving health and social care access. She researchs a wide range of populations including those experiencing homelessness or socioeconomic deprivation, and palliative populations. Dr Armstrong is the Principal Investigator from the NIHR School of Primary Care Research to explore the self-management of multiple long-term conditions in those experiencing socioeconomic deprivation. 

Cécile Vuillermoz, PhD, Inserm - the National Institute of Health and Medical Research, France

Dr Cécile Vuillermoz is a postdoctoral researcher in social epidemiology at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris, France. Her research focuses on the health and healthcare utilization determinants of populations living in precarious situations, such as homelessness. Additionally, Dr Vuillermoz explores social inequalities in mental health within various populations exposed to traumatic contexts, including civilians and first responders impacted by terrorist attacks, as well as healthcare workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.


About the Collection

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Health services for people experiencing homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness have poorer health than the general population. In addition, homeless people face several barriers to accessing healthcare. These barriers can vary depending on local contexts and specific healthcare systems, but some common trends can be identified, such as difficulty in accessing healthcare facilities, poor health literacy, language barriers, competing needs (shelter, food), lack of follow-up care, lack of social support etc. Improving knowledge about this topic is needed to ensure equitable access to healthcare for homeless people. Multi-morbidity and chronic conditions are also highly prevalent among people experiencing homelessness.

Studies analyzing the use of health services by people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness depict a scenario where prevention and primary care remain poorly accessible to this population whereas emergency medical services become the only source of healthcare in response to deteriorated health conditions and crises. A variety of barriers contributes to creating unmet health needs in a now growing and diversifying homeless population along with an unfavorable unbalance in healthcare resources utilization.

BMC Health Services Research welcomes submissions that investigate access to and provision of healthcare for people experiencing homelessness. We are particularly interested in studies describing comprehensive, person-centered, integrated care programs conducted in healthcare settings to offer primary and preventative care, along with complex care for chronic diseases and multi-morbidities.

We welcome original research, systematic and scoping reviews that focus on the following themes:

  • Barriers and facilitators: investigating the barriers and facilitators to accessing healthcare services for individuals experiencing homelessness (e.g. stigma, financial constraints, attitudes, infrastructure and systemic challenges) and how these are reflected in healthcare utilization
  • Innovative service models: showcasing innovative and effective health service models that cater specifically to the needs of homeless populations, including mobile clinics, humanitarian clinics, outreach programs, and other initiatives 
  • Primary and preventative medicine: describing programs that prioritize primary care and regular/comprehensive preventive care measures.
  • Complex and integrated care for chronic diseases and multi-morbidities: presenting comprehensive, person-centered, integrated care programs to identify and manage patients with chronic diseases and complex comorbidities
  • Mental health and substance use: exploring integrated approaches to address mental health, well-being, self-harm risk, and substance abuse targeted to this population
  • Health equity and social determinants: identifying and measuring disparity in access and provision of care in people experiencing homelessness and in the general population and strategies to promote health equity
  • Policy implications: evaluating existing policies and proposing evidence-based policy recommendations to enhance the accessibility and quality of healthcare services for people experiencing homelessness 
  • Specialized health workforce: initiatives aiming at training, supporting, and managing a trained workforce to offer targeted and coordinated care
  • Collaborative partnerships: highlighting successful collaborations between healthcare providers, social service agencies, and community organizations to create comprehensive and integrated healthcare solutions

This collection is relevant to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being and SDG 11: Sustainable cities & communities.
 

Image credit: elavuk81 / Stock.adobe.com

  1. People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk of violence and abuse, however, there is insufficient knowledge about rates of inquiry or readiness of healthcare professionals to address violence and ab...

    Authors: Sophie Nadia Gaber, Ing-Britt Rydeman, Elisabet Mattsson and Åsa Kneck
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2024 24:531
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Homelessness is associated with significant health disparities. Conventional health services often fail to address the unique needs and lived experience of homeless individuals and fail to include participator...

    Authors: Jean-Philippe Miller, Jennie Hutton, Claire Doherty, Shannen Vallesi, Jane Currie, Katrina Rushworth, Matthew Larkin, Matthew Scott, James Morrow and Lisa Wood
    Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2024 24:492
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles, Systematic- and Scoping Reviews. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission, guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Health services for people experiencing homelessness" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.