Journal of Primary Care and Community Health最新文献

{"title":"Shifting Patterns in Primary Care Telehealth Utilization Among Medicare Beneficiaries and Providers.","authors":"Yunxi Zhang, Lincy S Lal, Saurabh Chandra, John Michael Swint","doi":"10.1177/21501319251323983","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251323983","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption, but disparities in its utilization persist. This study examines primary care patient sociodemographic characteristics, telehealth utilization patterns, and provider adoptions before and during the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study analyzed data from Mississippi Medicare beneficiaries continuously enrolled in Parts A, B, and D who accessed primary care services from 2019 to 2021.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 201 677 Medicare beneficiaries accessing primary care, 1364 used telehealth before the pandemic, compared to 73 994 during the pandemic. Telehealth utilization shifted during the pandemic to younger, female, White beneficiaries, and those enrolled in Medicare due to disability or End Stage Renal Disease. During the pandemic, telehealth users exhibited higher Charlson Comorbidity Index and Social Vulnerability Index but lower Digital Divide Index scores compared to non-telehealth users. Telehealth was associated with more primary care visits, broader access, and higher continuity of care. Primary care physicians increased their share of telehealth services to 39%, while specialties such as neuropsychiatry and psychiatry showed the highest adoption rates, reaching 55% and 38%, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Telehealth demonstrated a growing role in primary care during the pandemic. Future efforts must address digital divides and advance health equity when integrating telehealth into primary care services.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251323983"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12033503/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Direct Clinical Pharmacist Intervention on Achievement of Blood Pressure Control at a Federally Qualified Health Center Within a Medically Underserved Area.","authors":"Bethany Maegan Lamb, Evie C Floyd, Reagan K Barfield, Janet V Goff, Tate Owens, Miranda McGee, Joseph Magagnoli, Whitney D Maxwell","doi":"10.1177/21501319251380623","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251380623","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Previous publications have demonstrated the benefits of pharmacist involvement in hypertension management, including in rural health care settings. Unlike many of the previous studies that evaluated pharmacist interventions occurring in collaboration with physicians, this study uniquely assessed the impact of pharmacist-led interventions under a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) on hypertension outcomes in a rural, medically underserved federally qualified health center (FQHC) in the southeastern U.S.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To evaluate the effectiveness of direct pharmacist intervention under a CPA compared to physician-only standard care in achieving blood pressure (BP) control. Secondary outcomes included all-cause hospitalization rates and adherence to antihypertensive medications.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective, single-center observational study included adult patients with hypertension seen by either a clinical pharmacist or a primary care provider over a 3-month period. Primary outcomes were the proportion of patients reaching target systolic and/or diastolic BP and the median time in days to control. Secondary outcomes included all-cause hospitalizations and changes in antihypertensive medication adherence, measured by proportion of days covered (PDC).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 159 patients, those managed by pharmacists achieved significantly faster BP control (SBP: 49 days vs 182 days, <i>P</i> < .0001; DBP: 146 days vs 160 days, <i>P</i> = .0061). Combined SBP/DBP control was also achieved more quickly (160 days, <i>P</i> < .0001), despite higher initial BP levels. Notably, 0% of patients in the pharmacist group were hospitalized, compared to 10% in the physician-only group (<i>P</i> = .0065). Medication adherence improved, with average PDC rising from 72.5% to 80.2%, and 70.4% of patients reaching ≥80% adherence by study end.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Pharmacist-led hypertension management under a CPA significantly improves BP control, time to goal, medication adherence, and reduces hospitalizations compared to physician-only care in a rural, underserved FQHC setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251380623"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12495195/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145226214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Framework to Launching a Community Eye Clinic.","authors":"Maythita Eiampikul, Bryce St Clair","doi":"10.1177/21501319251381634","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251381634","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Community eye clinics play a key role in referring patients for specialized care and conducting epidemiological studies, particularly among vulnerable and financially disadvantaged populations. However, there is a lack of published frameworks detailing the specific steps required to establish and sustain these clinics. This paper addresses the gap by outlining essential considerations for launching a community-based eye clinic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive review of existing eye care delivery models was conducted. Documents from established free or low-cost clinics were analyzed to identify common challenges, effective strategies, and legal requirements. Real-world insights on clinic implementation, staffing, patient outreach, and sustainability were obtained through informal discussions with eye care providers and healthcare administrators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings were synthesized into a step-by-step framework to guide providers and organizations in developing a community eye clinic. Key steps include identifying and engaging stakeholders, establishing clinic operations, ensuring long-term sustainability, implementing referral and follow-up systems, addressing legal and regulatory requirements, and promoting the clinic to the target population.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This framework offers a practical guideline to influence practice patterns, enhance health equity, and inform policies aimed at reducing preventable blindness on both local and global scales.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251381634"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145253177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Use of an Artificial Intelligence Platform OpenEvidence to Augment Clinical Decision-Making for Primary Care Physicians.","authors":"Ryan T Hurt, Christopher R Stephenson, Elizabeth A Gilman, Christopher A Aakre, Ivana T Croghan, Manpreet S Mundi, Karthik Ghosh, Jithinraj Edakkanambeth Varayil","doi":"10.1177/21501319251332215","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251332215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Artificial intelligence (AI) platforms can potentially enhance clinical decision-making (CDM) in primary care settings. OpenEvidence (OE), an AI tool, draws from trusted sources to generate evidence-based medicine (EBM) recommendations to address clinical questions. However, its effectiveness in real-world primary care cases remains unknown.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the performance of OE in providing EBM recommendations for five common chronic conditions in primary care: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus type 2, depression, and obesity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Five patient cases were retrospectively analyzed. Physicians posed specific clinical questions, and OE responses were evaluated on clarity, relevance, evidence support, impact on CDM, and overall satisfaction. Four independent physicians provided ratings using a 0 to 4 scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>OE provided accurate, evidence-based recommendations in all cases, aligning with physician plans. OE was scored on a scale of zero to four, where zero was very unclear, and four was very clear. Mean scores across cases were clarity (3.55 ± 0.60), relevance (3.75 ± 0.44), support (3.35 ± 0.49), and satisfaction (3.60 ± 0.60). However, the impact on CDM was limited (1.95 ± 1.05), as OE primarily reinforced rather than modified plans.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>OE was rated high in clarity, relevance, and evidence-based support, reinforcing physician decisions in common chronic conditions. While the impact on CDM was minimal due to the study's retrospective nature, OE shows promise in augmenting the primary care physician. Prospective trials are needed to evaluate its utility in complex cases and multidisciplinary settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251332215"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12033599/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144021266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pooled Vaccine Communication Actions to Promote Vaccination in the European Union: The Case of Italy.","authors":"Valentina Possenti, Roberto Croci, Roberta Terlizzi, Annina Nobile, Luca Fucili, Marco Mirra, Stefano Lucattini, Massimiliano Di Gregorio, Anna Maria Giammarioli, Scilla Pizzarelli, Francesco Corea, Antonio Mistretta, Paola De Castro, Raffaella Bucciardini","doi":"10.1177/21501319251342097","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251342097","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Under the mandate of supporting European immunisation cooperation and strategies, the specific aim of this work was about focusing on vaccine communication in order to raise awareness, increase confidence and strengthen the practice for vaccination in Italy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The four-step Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle applied through a bundle of actions: (Plan) studying national vaccination scenarios and factors underlying vaccine hesitancy by developing a reference grid; (Do) creating a web platform-based toolbox with vaccine communication tools; (Check) engaging within national stakeholders within dedicated roundtables also associated to media trainings; (Act) co-developing, or co-selecting, tools to pilot amongst identified target communities.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In 2021, we analysed evidence on vaccine hesitancy determinants in scientific (86%) and grey (14%) literature by applying contextual, individual, and vaccine-specific categories. A total of 42 out of 204 vaccine communication tools collected and evaluated in early 2022 referred to Italy. In mid-2022, participatory dialogue and engagement with national stakeholders, media included, addressed vaccine communication improvements in different target populations. In late 2022, co-creation/selection of vaccine communication tools and their piloting focused on specific vaccinations and communities, such as the school setting for Italy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To address better vaccine communication outcomes, efforts on multistakeholder collaboration, training and advocacy are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251342097"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12344338/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144822866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic Disease Patients' Engagement in Interprofessional Telehealth Collaboration in Primary Care: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Monica McGraw, Anaelle Morin, Vanessa Tremblay Vaillancourt, Marie-Eve Poitras, Yves Couturier, Isabelle Gaboury, Marie-Dominique Poirier","doi":"10.1177/21501319251333858","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251333858","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the rise of people being affected with chronic illness, now the leading cause of mortality worldwide, primary care is overwhelmed with the demand for healthcare services. Primary healthcare is the first resource for patients living with chronic illness, but in 2019, COVID-19 brought healthcare professionals to increase services through virtual care for patients living with chronic illness. In the workplace, such professionals often need to be sufficiently resourced to collaborate, to address collaborative care barriers in telehealth and to keep patients engaged in their health. We performed a scoping review to identify how patients living with chronic diseases actively engage and describe their involvement in the process of interprofessional collaboration within the context of telehealth in primary care settings. We followed Arksey and O'Malley's and the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodological guidelines to conduct this scoping review. The analysis of the retained twelve studies showed little distinction between the experience of interprofessional collaboration from the patient's perspective in a telehealth context compared to a face-to-face context. However, we were able to identify gaps (eg, limited insight onto engagement dynamic, lack of patient-centric research, and insufficient research on patient engagement) relating to the experiences of patients, patient engagement, and professionals who have used telehealth. In an era of digital innovations, this lack of literature regarding the patient experience may jeopardize the quality of the interprofessional collaboration services offered to patients and patient engagement. This gap in patient engagement integrated into interprofessional collaboration in a telehealth context needs to be addressed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251333858"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12144354/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144235531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming Hesitancy and Barriers to Care with Integration of Telemedicine in a Free Student-run Health Clinic.","authors":"Vikki A Krysov, Michelle E Balshin, Elijah N Azar, Karina Cernioglo, David Perekopskiy, Altynay T Nurpeissova, Lucy Zhonglu Shi","doi":"10.1177/21501319251316338","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251316338","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Nadezhda Clinic is a free student-run health clinic that provides culturally sensitive primary care services to the underserved Russian-speaking population of the greater Sacramento area. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic suspended in-person services and solely offered telemedicine visits. Most patients were hesitant to utilize telemedicine due to poor technological literacy, privacy concerns, and a preference for in-person care.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate whether the implementation of culturally sensitive telemedicine services and outreach strategies would help address patient hesitancy and barriers to care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Successful implementation of telemedicine was dependent on building trust with the community, providing multilingual technological assistance, and offering personalized support. Some measures that were reviewed in order to assess this included comparison of patient demographics, clinic attendance, and distance reached between in-person and telemedicine services.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Telemedicine implementation was associated with increased clinic attendance rates with a no-show rate as low as 13% when compared to in-person services with a no-show rate of 20%. Telehealth services also enabled the clinic to reach patients in rural areas up to 120 miles away.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>With the implementation of a culturally sensitive telemedicine protocol, Nadezhda Clinic achieved greater patient retention rates and reached patients at further distances, suggesting an overall reduction in hesitancy and barriers to care. Free clinics offering telemedicine are critical to further address healthcare disparities in marginalized communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251316338"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11783495/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET): The Feasibility and Acceptability of a Rural Community-Based Strategy to Prevent Mental and Emotional Health Problems.","authors":"Linda Zittleman, Maret Felzien, Kristen Curcija, Christopher Bennett, Kaitlyn Bennett, Joseph Carrica, Christin Sutter, Ashley Sherrill, John M Westfall","doi":"10.1177/21501319251317337","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251317337","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>People in rural regions frequently lack resources for mental health support. Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET) is a universal, community-based program designed to address mental and emotional health issues early and prevent crises. COMET Community Training is a short, interactive training that teaches people how to initiate a supportive and potentially emotional conversation using the simple, 7-item COMET Conversational Gravity Assist. This article describes and reports on the feasibility and acceptability of COMET and its Community Training.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>COMET was developed using a participatory research approach by community members and health professionals living in a rural region and their research partners. COMET Community Trainings were conducted over a 22-month period. Surveys were administered to attendees before and after training to describe attendees' characteristics, view on content, and impact on intention to use COMET components. Field notes were completed by trainers to document the date and number of attendees.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over 700 people attended 60 Community Trainings. Questionnaires were completed by 644 trainees before and 580 after training. Of pre-survey respondents, 25% worked in education and 15% in farming/ranching. Post-survey respondents were 62% female, and 32% were between age 18 and 36. High levels of training satisfaction were reported. Average likelihood of using items in the COMET conversational guide increased significantly from pre to post training. On a scale of 1 to 10, nearly 80% of respondents rated their likelihood of using COMET in the next 3 months a 7 or higher.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>COMET Community Training is a feasible program that effectively reaches a range of community members and improves the likelihood that they will initiate conversations when concerned about someone else's mental health. Results lay the groundwork for COMET as an intervention that promotes mental and emotional well-being to address inequality in mental health for people living in rural communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251317337"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143190793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cryptocurrency Trading and Associated Mental Health Factors: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Lakshit Jain, Luis Velez-Figueroa, Surya Karlapati, Mary Forand, Rizwan Ahmed, Zouina Sarfraz","doi":"10.1177/21501319251315308","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319251315308","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cryptocurrency trading seemingly mirrors the high-risk, high-reward nature of gambling, and may cause significant psychological challenges to traders. As cryptocurrency trading becomes mainstream, this scoping review aims to synthesize evidence from empirical studies to understand the emotional, cognitive, and social influences on cryptocurrency traders, and identify associated mental health traits/attributes influencing their behaviors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This review adhered to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, pooling in 13 studies involving 11,177 participants across multiple countries. A detailed literature search was conducted up to August 4, 2024, and was rerun on October 9, 2024 using databases including PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus. Keywords used included psychiatry, psychology, mental health, cryptocurrency, trading behavior, mental health, substance use, gambling, investment, and/or emotional impact. These terms were refined through iterative searches to retrieve the most relevant studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The scoping review found several key psychological factors affecting cryptocurrency trading behaviors. Many traders exhibited addiction-like behaviors, compulsively trading even when it leads to financial losses. Social media was found to have a strong influence, encouraging herd behavior and impulsive decision-making to follow trends. High levels of psychological distress, including anxiety and depression, were found to be linked to the market's volatility and risks. Overconfidence bias was observed to make traders underestimate risks and overestimate their ability to predict the market. Cognitive biases like confirmation bias and the disposition effect caused traders to hold onto losing investments and sell winning ones too early.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Due to the shared psychological traits between cryptocurrency trading and gambling, it is imperative to implement targeted early interventions to mitigate the risk of its progression into a pathological condition. Tools like the Problematic Cryptocurrency Trading Scale may help identify and manage risky behaviors. Ongoing research is crucial to identify both positive and negative impact of cryptocurrency trading to develop effective support systems and regulatory policies to address traders' mental well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319251315308"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11826850/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health Status, Health Determinants, and Use of Preventive Services Among Frontline Workers in Homeless Services.","authors":"Emese Nagy-Borsy, Viktória Anna Kovács, Dorottya Árva, Zoltán Vokó, Blanka Szeitl, István Kiss, Zsuzsa Rákosy","doi":"10.1177/21501319241312579","DOIUrl":"10.1177/21501319241312579","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Homeless service workers play a key role in addressing the social and health needs of people experiencing homelessness, yet little is known about their own health status and behaviors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A nationwide survey of Hungarian homeless service workers (n = 548) was conducted using a short version of the European Health Interview Survey. The results were compared with age- and sex-adjusted data from the general Hungarian population.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Despite reporting good health, one-third of homeless service workers had long-standing health problems, with one-fourth experiencing activity limitations. Mild (29.1% vs 17.2%) and moderate (8.5% vs 4.7%) depressive symptoms were nearly twice as prevalent among service workers. They also reported lower daily consumption of fruits and vegetables (41.4% and 26.3% vs 57.0% and 45.4%) and a higher rate of daily smoking (35.4% vs 26.4%). Additionally, 59.3% were classified as overweight or obese. Participation in organized cancer screenings was higher among homeless service workers but stayed below 50% in both groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings can serve as a foundation for developing strategies to improve the health status of homeless service workers. Ultimately, this benefits both the workforce and the quality of services provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":46723,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Primary Care and Community Health","volume":"16 ","pages":"21501319241312579"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11843696/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143459908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}