Nurses’ attitudes and perceptions towards homelessness

Abstract

Homelessness is a growing nationwide crisis with significant implications for healthcare. Nurses are frontline workers who play a large role in providing equitable and compassionate care to this vulnerable population. This research investigated the attitudes of registered nurses in Northern California toward patients experiencing homelessness. The study was conducted using a valid and reliable tool, “Attitudes Towards Homeless Inventory” (ATHI) and collecting demographic information. Participants sampled varied from several Northern California hospitals.Results found that a significant portion of respondents associated homelessness with substance abuse, resulting in homelessness as a personal versus societal causation.  There seemed to be no differences in scores on the questionnaire based on age, work experience, and unit worked on when comparing attitudes towards personal vs societal causation. Total scores of the ATHI found that nurses with more experience had improved attitudes toward the homeless compared to those with less experience. Older nurses also had improved attitudes toward the homeless.The study highlights the need for interventions to address potential biases towards this population. Given the limited research on nursing attitudes toward homelessness, these findings expose a gap in investigating nursing attitudes regarding this patient population.