Exploring the Role of Rehabilitation Medicine within an Inclusion Health Context: Examining a Population at Risk from Homelessness and Brain Injury in Edinburgh

Edwin Eshun (), Orla Burke, Florence Do, Angus Maciver, Anushka Mathur, Cassie Mayne, Aashik Ahamed Mohamed Jemseed, Levente Novak, Anna Siddique, Eve Smith, David Tapia-Stocker and Alasdair FitzGerald
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Edwin Eshun: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Astley Ainslie Hospital, NHS Lothian, 133 Grange Loan, Edinburgh EH9 2HL, UK
Orla Burke: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Florence Do: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Angus Maciver: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Anushka Mathur: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Cassie Mayne: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Aashik Ahamed Mohamed Jemseed: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Levente Novak: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Anna Siddique: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Eve Smith: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
David Tapia-Stocker: Edinburgh Medical School, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK
Alasdair FitzGerald: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Astley Ainslie Hospital, NHS Lothian, 133 Grange Loan, Edinburgh EH9 2HL, UK

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: People experiencing homelessness are at risk from a number of comorbidities, including traumatic brain injury, mental health disorders, and various infections. Little is known about the rehabilitation needs of this population. This study took advantage of unique access to a specialist access GP practice for people experiencing homelessness and a local inclusion health initiative to explore the five-year period prevalence of these conditions in a population of people experiencing homelessness through electronic case record searches and to identify barriers and facilitators to healthcare provision for this population in the context of an interdisciplinary and multispecialist inclusion health team through semi-structured interviews with staff working in primary and secondary care who interact with this population. The five-year period prevalence of TBI, infections, and mental health disorders was 9.5%, 4%, and 22.8%, respectively. Of those who had suffered a brain injury, only three had accessed rehabilitation services. Themes from thematic analysis of interviews included the impact of psychological trauma, under-recognition of the needs of people experiencing homelessness, resource scarcity, and the need for collaborative and adaptive approaches. The combination of quantitative and qualitative data suggests a potential role for rehabilitation medicine in inclusion health initiatives.

Keywords: rehabilitation; traumatic brain injury; inclusion health; homelessness; multimorbidity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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