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Ross EE, Speiser N, Donohue S, Yenikomshian HA. Injury Pattern Analysis to Optimize Burn Injury Prevention in the Unhoused Community. J Burn Care Res 2024; 45:273-276. [PMID: 38437619 DOI: 10.1093/jbcr/irae013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Unhoused patients are an overrepresented group in burn injury, and are a uniquely vulnerable population. Current research focuses on the consequences of homelessness on burn outcomes, with little known about the specific circumstances and behaviors leading to burn injury that may represent specific targets for injury prevention efforts. The burn registry at an urban regional burn center was queried for burn admissions in unhoused adults from 2019 to 2022. Registry data pulled included demographics, urine toxicology, mechanism of injury, and injury subjective history. Subjective injury history was reviewed to determine more specific injury circumstances and activities during which accidental burns occurred. Demographic and mechanistic trends in burn admissions were explored via descriptive statistics. Among 254 admissions for burns from the unhoused community, 58.1% of patients were positive for stimulants on admission. Among accidental injuries (69.7%), common circumstances included preparing food or beverages, cooking or using methamphetamine, smoking cannabis or tobacco, bonfires, and candles. A specific common circumstance was lighting a cigarette while handling accelerants (6.7%). Interventions for stimulant abuse, as well as outreach efforts to educate unhoused patients about situational awareness, safe handling of accelerants, safe smoking practices, and safe cooking practices, may be effective tools in reducing burn admissions in this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Ross
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033USA
| | - Noah Speiser
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033USA
| | - Sean Donohue
- Department of Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033USA
| | - Haig A Yenikomshian
- Division of Plastic Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033USA
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Su KY, Feldman BJ, Feldman CT, Saluja S, Coulourides Kogan AM, Cousineau MR. Behavioral Health Care Delivery Through Street Medicine Programs in California. Community Ment Health J 2024; 60:283-291. [PMID: 37526807 PMCID: PMC10822007 DOI: 10.1007/s10597-023-01169-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Mental health and substance use disorders are prevalent among people experiencing homelessness. Street Medicine can reach unhoused people who face barriers to accessing healthcare in more traditional medical settings including shelter-based clinics. However, there is little guidance on best practices for mental health and substance use treatment through Street Medicine. The aim of the study was to describe behavioral health care through Street Medicine by analyzing data from the California Street Medicine Landscape survey and follow-up qualitative interviews. Most street medicine programs utilize non-psychiatrists to diagnose and treat mental health and substance use disorders, though the capacity to provide the level of care needed varies. There is a lack of street-based psychiatric clinicians and programs have difficulty making referrals to mental health and addiction services. This report shows that Street Medicine could serve as a strategy to expand access to behavioral health care for the unhoused.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Y Su
- Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | | | | | - Sonali Saluja
- Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Erickson BR, Ehrie J, Murray S, Dougherty RJ, Wainberg ML, Dixon LB, Goldman ML. A Rapid Review of "Low-Threshold" Psychiatric Medication Prescribing: Considerations for Street Medicine and Beyond. Psychiatr Serv 2023; 74:282-291. [PMID: 36039554 PMCID: PMC9971341 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE No widely accepted clinical guidelines, and scant directly applicable pragmatic research, are available to guide the prescription of psychiatric medications in "low-threshold" outpatient settings, such as street outreach, urgent care, and crisis care, as well as walk-in, shelter, and bridge and transition clinics. Providers frequently prescribe medications in these settings without patients' having firm psychiatric diagnoses and without medical records to guide clinical decision making. Persons who receive medications in these settings often seek help voluntarily and intermittently for mental illness symptoms. However, because of structural and individual factors, such patients may not engage in longitudinal outpatient psychiatric care. The authors reviewed the literature on psychiatric medication prescribing in low-threshold settings and offer clinical considerations for such prescribing. METHODS The authors conducted a rapid literature review (N=2,215 abstracts), which was augmented with up-to-date clinical prescribing literature, the authors' collective clinical experience, and DSM-5 section II diagnostic criteria to provide considerations for prescribing medications in low-threshold settings. RESULTS For individuals for whom diagnostic uncertainty is prominent, a symptom-based diagnostic and treatment approach may be best suited to weigh the risks and benefits of medication use in low-threshold settings. Practical considerations for treating patients with clinical presentations of psychosis and trauma, as well as mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders, in low-threshold settings are discussed. CONCLUSIONS An urgent need exists to invest in pragmatic research and guideline development to delineate best-practice prescribing in low-threshold settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake R Erickson
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Jarrod Ehrie
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Samuel Murray
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Ryan J Dougherty
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Milton L Wainberg
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Lisa B Dixon
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
| | - Matthew L Goldman
- New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City (Erickson, Ehrie, Wainberg, Dixon); Psychiatry Residency Spokane, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane, Washington (Murray); Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City (Dougherty); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco (Goldman)
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Grotts JH, Mead MM, Rab S, Walker IJ, Choi KR. Geospatial analysis of associations among mental health need, housing need, and involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. Soc Sci Med 2022; 311:115343. [PMID: 36126473 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to use geospatial indicators of mental health need and homelessness in Los Angeles County Service Planning Areas (SPAs) and a psychiatric sample of adults who were homeless to investigate 1) overlap between SPA level of mental health need and corresponding volume of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations over time; 2) overlap between SPA level of unsheltered homelessness and corresponding volume of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations over time; and 3) associations between SPA level of mental health need, SPA level of unsheltered homelessness, and initiation of a mental health conservatorship for grave disability. A sample of 373 adults who were homeless and hospitalized on an involuntary psychiatric hold from 2016 to 2018 were linked to data from the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count on unsheltered homelessness and from the California Health Interview Survey on need for mental health services and suicidality, using admission zip codes to link variables at the SPA level. Geospatial mapping and bivariate tests were used to examine geographic overlap of SPA mental health need and unsheltered homelessness with volume of involuntary psychiatric admissions over the study period. Multiple logistic regression modeling was used to examine associations of SPA mental health need and unsheltered homelessness with conservatorship initiation. The volume of patients admitted from SPAs with higher levels of mental illness need grew from 2016 to 2018 (Tau = 0.27, P < 0.001; Tau = 0.40, P < 0.001), but there were fewer patients admitted from SPAs with higher levels of unsheltered homelessness over the same years (Tau of -0.33, P < 0.001). Being admitted from SPAs with the highest levels of unsheltered homelessness was associated with higher odds of conservatorship initiation (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.82-16.74). Results suggest a need for targeted mental health and housing services to reach areas of highest need in Los Angeles County.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph H Grotts
- School of Nursing, UCLA; 700 Tiverton Ave Los Angeles, CA, 90049, USA
| | - Meredith M Mead
- Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, 1891 Effie St Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shayan Rab
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Imani J Walker
- Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, 1891 Effie St Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kristen R Choi
- School of Nursing, UCLA; 700 Tiverton Ave Los Angeles, CA, 90049, USA; Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Center, 1891 Effie St Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Health Policy & Management, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA; 650 Charles E Young Dr S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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