Screening for Housing Instability: Providers’ Reflections on Addressing a Social Determinant of Health

摘要

In other examples, a patient experienced a problem associated with housing issues (e.g., bedbugs, food insecurity, or uncontrolled symptoms such as high A1c’s), which then cued providers to ask about housing. Providers also described awareness of, and attunement to, potential indicators of housing instability. These included changes in a patient’s appearance, reports of relational or financial instability, or a history of mental illness or substance use disorder. However, they also reported that prior to the HSCR, their preconceptions about what a person who was homeless “looked like” resulted in missed opportunities. One PCP recounted his surprise: