Homeless youth are widely acknowledged as being a particularly medically vulnerable population in the US. Homeless youth are at high risk for negative outcomes from various environmental stressors, individual coping mechanisms, and poor access to appropriate primary health care. The multidimensional health problems of homeless youth are known. Factors related to monitoring and improving quality of primary health care for this population are not well documented. I propose to conduct research to document the factors necessary for monitoring access and quality of primary health care for homeless youth. The present study of monitoring the quality of health care for homeless youth will be a mixed-method study. It begins with a qualitative component, consisting of narrative interviews with street-based and service-based homeless youth to document their understandings of illness, health care, and experiences with seeking health care. It then includes focus groups with homeless youth to record their perspectives about appropriate process and outcome measures of quality of health care. This is complemented by national expert consensus on appropriate process and outcome measures of quality health care using a modified Delphi technique. Finally, the research will include a pilot testing study of existing youth health-related quality of life instruments that are deemed appropriate to this population based on results of the previous research components. The resulting data will assist in local and national health care monitoring and planning for this vulnerable population. This research will position me to plan and conduct a larger evaluation study of the quality of health care and of public policies impacting health for homeless youth. In addition, this career development award will allow me the didactic and experiential training necessary to transition to an independent clinical investigator focusing on health services research for homeless and high-risk adolescents.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
5K08HS011414-03
Application #
6638859
Study Section
HSR Health Care Research Training SS (HCRT)
Program Officer
Anderson, Kay
Project Start
2001-07-06
Project End
2005-06-30
Budget Start
2003-07-01
Budget End
2004-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Ensign, Josephine; Ammerman, Seth (2008) Ethical issues in research with homeless youths. J Adv Nurs 62:365-72