Emergency Department Linkage to Care for Patients Experiencing Homelessness

NCT07209072 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: COMIRB 24-1764F32HS030344
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 390
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In an effort to improve access to primary care at time of discharge, patients who are homeless will be given either enhanced follow up through a street medicine team or routine follow up in clinic.

Conditions

Homelessness

Keywords

primary care; emergency department; homelessness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• ED visits

  Repeat visits to the ED

  1 and 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Inpatient hospitalizations

  1 and 3 months

• Mortality

  3 months

Study Arms (2)

Standard of Care

NO INTERVENTION

Patients will receive a referral to a rapid follow up clinic at time of discharge

Street medicine

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients will receive a referral to street medicine at time of discharge

Behavioral: Street medicine follow up

Interventions

Street medicine follow up BEHAVIORAL

This intervention will use electronic health record builds to automatically send a referral to a street medicine clinic, who will attempt to contact the patient within 2 weeks.

Street medicine

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• adult (≥18 years of age) DHMC ED patient,
• currently unsheltered, defined as living on the streets, in a vehicle, or in another place not fit for human habitation,
• anticipating ED discharge, with
• a diagnosis listed below that requires short-term follow up:
• COPD or asthma exacerbation
• Bacterial or viral pneumonia
• CHF with volume overload
• SSTI
• Dehydration requiring IV fluids
• Hyperglycemia secondary to DM
• Frostbite
• First- and second-degree burns
• Bacterial ENT infections
• Diabetic foot infection
• Traumatic head injury

You may not qualify if:

• have altered mentation (e.g., intoxication, or secondary to medical, psychiatric, or behavioral conditions) that are unable to communicate their location, contact information, or agree to follow up.
• are prisoners,
• previously enrolled.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Denver Health and Hospital Authority: lead

Study Sites (1)

Denver Health Medical Center

Denver, Colorado, 80204, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emergencies

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Jason Haukoos, MD MSc

  Denver Health Medical Center

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Kathleen M Joseph, MD MPH

CONTACT

13175194468; kathleen.joseph@dhha.org

Carolynn Lyle, PAC MPH

CONTACT

carol.lyle@dhha.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 30, 2025
• First Posted: October 6, 2025
• Study Start: December 5, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: January 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)