Lessons from the Homeless: Civil and Uncivil Interactions with Nurses, Self-Care Behaviors, and Barriers to Care

Civility, rooted in social justice, is a fundamental value of nursing. Homeless people are particularly at risk for experiencing uncivil behavior from nurses.

The purpose of this study was to explore homeless people's perceptions of their interactions with nurses.

In this descriptive, qualitative study, we interviewed 15 homeless adults who described their experiences with nurses. The interview guide, developed by the researchers, consisted of open-ended questions and probes. Transcriptions and field notes were analyzed through thematic analysis.

Three major themes emerged: nurses should be civil, self-care behaviors, and barriers to good care. Subthemes included listening, compassion, attentiveness, and judgment as components of civility; where they go for care and who cares for them as self-care behaviors; and lack of money and homeless status as barriers to care.

Our findings indicate people who are homeless often perceive nurses to be uncivil and uncaring toward them; furthermore, our participants provide a unique description of healthcare interactions from the perspective of the homeless. These findings can be used as a basis for the development of education interventions for students and practicing nurses to assist them in learning to provide civil and compassionate care for the homeless.