UMMS Affiliation
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences
Date
4-14-2009
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Adult; Boston; Community Networks; Female; *Homeless Persons; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Discharge; Patient Readmission; Program Evaluation; Respite Care; Retrospective Studies; Young Adult
Disciplines
Biostatistics | Epidemiology | Health Services Research
Abstract
Medical respite programs offer medical, nursing, and other care as well as accommodation for homeless persons discharged from acute hospital stays. They represent a community-based adaptation of urban health systems to the specific needs of homeless persons. This article examines whether post-hospital discharge to a homeless medical respite program was associated with a reduced chance of 90-day readmission compared to other disposition options. Adjusting for imbalances in patient characteristics using propensity scores, respite patients were the only group that was significantly less likely to be readmitted within 90 days compared to those released to Own Care. Respite programs merit attention as a potentially efficacious service for homeless persons leaving the hospital.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Prev Interv Community. 2009;37(2):129-42. Link to article on publisher's site
