• Kyril L Cole, Matthew C Findlay, Emma Earl, Brandon A Sherrod, Christopher B Cutler, Sarah Nguyen, Ramesh Grandhi, and Sarah T Menacho.
• School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
• Neurosurgery. 2023 Aug 1; 93 (2): 292299292-299.

BackgroundHomelessness is associated with high risk of acute neurotraumatic injury in the ∼600 000 Americans affected on any given night.ObjectiveTo compare care patterns and outcomes between homeless and nonhomeless individuals with acute neurotraumatic injuries.MethodsAdults hospitalized for acute neurotraumatic injuries between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020, were identified in this retrospective cross-sectional study at our Level 1 trauma center. We evaluated demographics, in-hospital characteristics, discharge dispositions, readmissions, and adjusted readmission risk.ResultsOf 1308 patients, 8.5% (n = 111) were homeless on admission to neurointensive care. Compared with nonhomeless individuals, homeless patients were younger ( P = .004), predominantly male ( P = .003), and less frail ( P = .003) but had similar presenting Glasgow Coma Scale scores ( P = .85), neurointensive care unit stay time ( P = .15), neurosurgical interventions ( P = .27), and in-hospital mortality ( P = .17). Nevertheless, homeless patients had longer hospital stays (11.8 vs 10.0 days, P = .02), more unplanned readmissions (15.3% vs 4.8%, P < .001), and more complications while hospitalized (54.1% vs 35.8%, P = .01), particularly myocardial infarctions (9.0% vs 1.3%, P < .001). Homeless patients were mainly discharged to their previous living situation (46.8%). Readmissions were primarily for acute-on-chronic intracranial hematomas (4.5%). Homelessness was an independent predictor of 30-day unplanned readmissions (odds ratio 2.41 [95% CI 1.33-4.38, P = .004]).ConclusionHomeless individuals experience longer hospital stays, more inpatient complications such as myocardial infarction, and more unplanned readmissions after discharge compared with their housed counterparts. These findings combined with limited discharge options in the homeless population indicate that better guidance is needed to improve the postoperative disposition and long-term care of this vulnerable patient population.Copyright © Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2023. All rights reserved.

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