Unhoused Patients Experience Numerous Challenges in Surgical Care

Unhoused patients face significant barriers in receiving surgical care, leading to poorer outcomes compared to the general population. This qualitative analysis of 26 interviews with clinicians revealed five key themes: challenges in meeting preoperative requirements, housing status influencing minor care decisions, negative postoperative experiences for unhoused patients, imperfect discharge options leading to inadequate postoperative care, and communication difficulties between surgeons and non-surgeons. Clinicians reported utilizing both formal and informal methods to mitigate these challenges, underscoring the need for interventions to improve surgical care access for this vulnerable group.