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This study examined factors associated with the use of the Health Care for the Homeless Program and other health care services by homeless adults. A total of 941 homeless adults were identified in 52 soup kitchens in U.S. communities. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were applied. Among homeless adults, having dental problems was the most robust factor associated with their use of Health Care for the Homeless Program services (odds ratio [OR] = 2.50, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.44-4.32). Among homeless adults who did not visit Health Care for the Homeless Program services during last six months, the number of emergency room visits was the most powerful factor associated with their use of other health care services (OR = 1.15, 95 percent CI = 1.05-1.26). The results of the study can help health care providers better serve homeless adults to meet their health needs.

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Medication errors are a source of serious patient harm. A unique approach, Socio-Technical Probabilistic Risk Assessment, was used to analyze historical errors in this setting. The goal was to identify a minimal number of steps that would establish increased reliability and decrease errors if these steps were used every time. Three steps were identified that should be taken with every intravenous medication or fluid administration. Preliminary analysis revealed a 22% reduction in errors when using these 3 steps.