Epidemiology, Characteristics, and Outcomes of ICU-Managed Homeless Patients: A Population-Based Study

The population-level demand for critical care services among the homeless (H) remains unknown, with only sparse data on the characteristics and outcomes of those managed in the ICU.

The Texas Inpatient Public Use Data File and annual federal reports were used to identify H hospitalizations and annual estimates of the H population between 2007 and 2014. The incidence of ICU admissions in the H population, the characteristics of ICU-managed H, and factors associated with their short-term mortality were examined.

Among 52,206 H hospitalizations 15,553 (29.8%) were admitted to ICU. The incidence of ICU admission among state H population rose between 2007 and 2014 from 28.0 to 96.6/1,000 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Adults aged ≥ 45 years and minorities accounted for 70.2% and 57.6%, respectively, of the growth in volume of ICU admissions. Short-term mortality was 3.2%, with odds of death increased with age, comorbidity burden, and number of failing organs.

The demand for critical care services was increasingly high among the H and was contrasted by low short-term mortality among ICU admissions. These findings, coupled with the persistent health disparities among minority H, underscore the need to effectively address homelessness and reduce barriers to longitudinal appropriate prehospital care among the H.