Table 1 Station-based health assessments for people experiencing homelessness. The bolded measures are relevant for administration to a homeless population. The bolded italic measures were developed for, or validated on, homeless populations. The underlined measures have validated thresholds for comparison across samples. (Cronbach’s alpha reported for scales where known)
From: Appropriate and acceptable health assessments for people experiencing homelessness
Health risk screen to establish ‘safe to participate’ in the health screening activities | |
Pain at time of assessment Known medical conditions Medications | Blood pressure (thresholds available) Blood oxygenation (thresholds available) Heart rate (thresholds available) Respiration rate (thresholds available) Temperature (thresholds available) |
1. Survey: Socio-demographic information (Self-report with or without literacy assistance) | |
Age Gender Culture & ethnicity Language Marital status Falls and near misses (past 6 months) Vaccination history (past 5 years) | Living arrangements Education Employment Pet ownership Most common form of transport used N. unplanned admissions to general medical practitioners, hospital emergency departments (ED) or hospital wards in past 12 months Health screenings & vaccinations in last 12 months |
2. Survey: Self-reported health (Self-report) | |
DETERMINE your Nutritional Health [19] (α 0.445, [20]) Pelvic Floor Bother Questionnaire (PFBQ) (α = 0.61, [21]) | Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS [22];) |
3. Objective health assessments | |
Station 1: Cognition (Psychologist / Social worker) | Station 5: Dexterity, response time (Physiotherapist) |
General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCog) (α = 0.84, [23]) Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) [24] (α = 0.93) [25] Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (α = 0.83, [26]) | Purdue Dexterity Test (PDT) ([27]) Ruler reaction time [28] |
Station 2: Audiometry (Audiologist) | Station 6: Mobility & exertion (Physiotherapist) |
Otoscopy ( [29] Audiometry [29] Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Questionnaire (SSQ5) [30] | Balance Screening Tool (BST, [31]) Six-minute Walk Test (SMWT, [32]) Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale and Dyspnoea scale [33] |
Station 3: Functional movement & grip strength (Physiotherapist) | Station 7: Skin, eye and foot health (General practitioner) |
Functional Movement Screen [34] Grip strength [32] | Skin check [17] Eye health & vision test [17] Foot sensation [35] |
Station 4: Lung function & anthropometry (Respiratory scientist & physiotherapist) | Station 8: Oral health (Oral hygienist with dental students) |
Lung function: spirometry [36] Body Mass Index (BMI) [17] Waist and hip circumference [17] | Oral Health Impact Profile– 14 (OHIP-14, [37]) ARCPOH Oral Health Questionnaire including mouth and teeth health [38] |