The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that almost 50,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Homeless veterans are at greater risk of health disparities than their housed counterparts due to the multifactorial nature of their health and social needs. The Department of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with more than a dozen other federal agencies, has concentrated efforts to improve the health of this vulnerable population while enacting a plan to eliminate veteran homelessness within the near future. Understanding the unique health needs of veterans who are homeless allows the profession of nursing to better support these efforts. The purpose of this literature review was to provide comprehensive knowledge to nurses about the health of homeless veterans for their use in clinical practice, research, and in contributing to the positive health outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Homelessness is associated with poorer health status, and affects men, women, children, and veterans alike across the United States. With over half a million‐people suffering from homelessness on any given night, it is imperative that the health care delivery system step in to help this vulnerable group. Registered nurses encounter people experiencing homelessness in hospitals, clinics, shelters, and across the public health sector. They have the necessary skills to help make positive health‐related changes for homeless populations and improve their overall quality of life. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to (a) assess existing nurse‐led interventional studies with homeless populations, (b) highlight effective methods that nurses used to impact care, and (c) make recommendations about future research needed. PRISMA guidelines were used and multiple databases were searched for nurse‐led interventional research with those experiencing homelessness. Recommendations include using a holistic nursing approach when working to improve outcomes for homeless populations to ensure optimal treatment for their complex physical, mental, and social health problems.

Background Homelessness is a robust social determinant of acute care service utilization among veterans. Although intensive outpatient programs have been developed for homeless veterans who are high utilizers of acute care (“super utilizers”), few scalable programs have been implemented to address their needs. Objective Describe the development and pilot testing of a novel intervention that integrates the roles of a peer and whole health coach (“Peer-WHC”) in coordination with primary care teams to reduce homeless veterans’ frequent use of acute care. Design Single-arm trial in three outpatient primary care clinics at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical center; pre/post design using mixed-methods. Participants Twenty veterans from VHA’s homeless registry who were super-utilizers of acute care and enrolled in primary care. Intervention Weekly health coaching sessions with a peer over 12 weeks, including discussions of patients’ health care utilization patterns and coordination with primary care. Main measures Rates of session attendance and intervention fidelity, patient-reported satisfaction and changes in patient engagement and perceptions of health, pre/post utilization of acute and supportive care services, and qualitative interviews with multiple stakeholders to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. Key results On average, patients attended 6.35 sessions (SD = 3.5, Median = 7). Satisfaction scores (M = 28.75 out of 32; SD = 2.79) exceeded a priori benchmarks. Patients’ perceptions of health improved from pre to post [t(df)=-2.26(14), p = 0.04]. In the 3-months pre/post, 45% (n = 9) and 15% (n = 3) of patients, respectively, were hospitalized. Qualitative feedback from patients, providers, and peers and fidelity metrics suggested value in increasing the length of the intervention to facilitate goal-setting with patients and coordination with primary care. Conclusion Findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of Peer-WHC to address the healthcare needs of homeless veterans. A future trial is warranted to test the impact of Peer-WHC on reducing these patients’ frequent use of acute care.

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We assessed hepatitis A (HepA) vaccine receipt among susceptible individuals in outbreak and matched nonoutbreak states. Difference-in-differences models and multivariable logistic regression were used to compare HepA vaccination rates in these states. In the postoutbreak year, there was a 112% increase in HepA vaccinations in outbreak states versus a 6% decrease in nonoutbreak states. Differences persisted in our multivariable model (adjusted odds ratio = 2.53; 95% confidence interval = 2.45, 2.61). HepA vaccination rates increased dramatically in outbreak states, but many individuals susceptible to hepatitis A virus remain unvaccinated. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print May 26, 2022: e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306845 )

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain the process by which homeless veterans manage their chronic health problems. In the United States, over 550,000 people experience homelessness on any given night. Of these, over 11% are veterans of the military, many whom suffer from at least one chronic disease. Study participants included male homeless veterans with at least one chronic health problem recruited at a Veterans Affairs emergency department, a homeless shelter, and a soup kitchen. Semi-structured interviews with 32 veterans from the Vietnam/post-Vietnam era were audio-recorded, verified, and coded resulting in a theory entitled “pursuing the mission,” which describes and explains four ways (deferring, exploring, embarking, embracing) they manage their chronic health problems. The findings from this study provide insight from individuals living this experience and will help guide the future delivery of health care to homeless veterans.

RESUMENEl presente estudio tiene como objetivo determinar la comprensión de las enfermeras que trabajan en un hospital centinela de eventos adversos, identificar los eventos más frecuentes y las medidas adoptadas por la institución para la seguridad de la atención, desde el punto de vista de las enfermeras. Estudio descriptivo, exploratorio, realizado durante el año 2009 en un hospital universitario en el Medio Oeste con 50 enfermeras que respondieron a un cuestionario. Los datos se analizaron estadísticamente, con las frecuencias absolutas y relativas. Los eventos adversos más frecuentes fueron las infecciones hospitalarias, error de medicación, trauma durante procedimientos, úlceras por presión, caídas y quemaduras. La mayoría comprende el concepto de eventos adversos, aunque algunos han señalado las dificultades. Todos reconocieron los riesgos y señalaron la adopción de medidas de acompañamiento y evaluación del servicio para mejorar la práctica asistencial. RESUMOO presente estudo tem como objetivo verificar o entendimento dos enfermeiros atuantes em um hospital sentinela sobre os eventos adversos, identificar os eventos mais frequentes e as medidas adotadas pela instituição para a segurança da assistência, segundo a ótica destes enfermeiros. Estudo descritivo, exploratório realizado durante o ano de 2009 em um hospital de ensino do Centro Oeste com 50 enfermeiros que responderam um questionário estruturado. Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente, apresentando as freqüências absolutas e relativas. Os eventos adversos mais citados foram infecção hospitalar, erro de medicação, trauma durante procedimentos, úlcera de pressão, queda e queimadura. A maioria entende o

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