Rapid review: Delivering primary care services in non-traditional healthcare settings to people experiencing homelessness

The Rapid Review: Delivering Primary Care in Non-Traditional Healthcare Settings to Individuals Experiencing Homelessness identifies promising models of care that support equitable access to primary care for people experiencing homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness often face barriers, including stigma or exclusion, when accessing primary care. This results in higher rates of unmet needs and trips to the emergency room. One approach to better meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness is to provide primary care outside of traditional primary care clinics.

This report was completed by the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies with support from Healthcare Excellence Canada.

The report identified the following six key considerations for providing primary care services to people experiencing homelessness in non-traditional settings.

Key considerations for delivering primary care services to people experiencing homelessness: Foster positive interpersonal relationships between people experiencing homelessness and healthcare providers, include peer support workers and interprofessional team members to address the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness, establish a welcoming and inclusive environment to encourage access to primary care and social connectedness, support system navigation and build connections to mainstream care to help reduce barriers, enable collection and sharing of health information to improve care continuity and support evaluation of primary care programs, and adopt sustainable and adaptive funding models.

Download the Rapid Review: Delivering Primary Care in Non-Traditional Healthcare Settings to Individuals Experiencing Homelessness.