Wound care in hard-to-reach populations: rough sleepers.

Stephens, Melanie; Chester-Bessell, Deborah; Rose, Samantha

Abstract

People sleeping rough commonly develop wounds and other skin disorders. Wounds vary and develop for multiple reasons. They include acute wounds such as burns, infected injection sites, abscesses and cellulitis, as well as chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers; rough sleepers have a high prevalence of lower limb wounds. Skin and soft tissue infections are common, especially in people who inject drugs via subcutaneous or intramuscular routes. Emergency departments are often the pathways into healthcare for homeless people as traditional health and care systems often fail to meet their needs. Across England, initiatives have been developed to improve access to wound care for those who sleep rough. A case study illustrates the care of a homeless man presenting with a lower limb wound.

Citation

Stephens, M., Chester-Bessell, D., & Rose, S. (2024). Wound care in hard-to-reach populations: rough sleepers. British Journal of Nursing, 33(4), S34-S37. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.33.4.S34

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 20, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Feb 22, 2024
• Publication Date: Feb 22, 2024
• Deposit Date: Mar 3, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 23, 2024
• Journal: British Journal of Nursing
• Print ISSN: 0966-0461
• Electronic ISSN: 2052-2819
• Publisher: MA Healthcare
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 4
• Pages: S34-S37
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.33.4.S34
• Keywords: England - epidemiology, Rough sleepers, Burns, Prevalence, Leg ulceration, Drug-related wounds, Abscesses and cellulitis, Humans, Male, Foot ulcers, Wound care, Skin
• Additional Information: This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in British Journal of Nursing, copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.33.4.S34