The Impact of an Educational Intervention on Nursing Staff Attitudes Toward Patients Experiencing Homelessness and Mental Illness

Abstract

OBJECTIVE Patients who experience homelessness and have mental illness can have frequent and challenging hospitalizations. Nurses caring for this vulnerable population may have negative attitudes, which can be mitigated by education and improved for the benefit of patients. This study aimed to assess the impact of an educational intervention on the attitudes of nursing staff toward individuals experiencing homelessness and mental illness. METHOD Using a pre–post design, a revised version of the Health Professionals’ Attitudes Toward the Homeless Inventory (HPATHI) assessed 23 nursing staff working on inpatient medicine units surrounding a brief educational session about persons experiencing homelessness and mental illness. Data were also collected from open-ended questions. RESULTS There was a small positive increase in mean HPATHI scores postintervention (74.783 [ SD = 5.485] to 77.13 [ SD = 6.312]) indicating more positive participant attitudes toward homeless individuals. The HPATHI also revealed a 6% increase in score for participant comfortability providing care for homeless persons with major mental illness postintervention. Some participants likely interpreted their answers as displaying more positive and less cynical attitudes based on their comments, while the HPATHI scored them as more negative. Qualitative feedback revealed both positive and negative attitudes toward this patient population, and various associated barriers to care. CONCLUSIONS Nursing staff will likely provide care for patients who experience homelessness with concomitant mental illness. Educating nurses about the needs of this population is feasible and could be beneficial for patient care.