Introduction People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face myriad barriers to healthcare, including preventative sexual health services. A street medicine team in one Northern California county observed low uptake of sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening among PEH. We conducted this study to understand the factors contributing to PEH’s decision to seek or accept STI screening.
Methods This is a qualitative study using semistructured interviews and demographics surveys among PEH. The interviews focused on understanding facilitators and barriers to STI screening and experiences in healthcare settings more broadly. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thorough memoing process and matrix-based analysis.
Conclusion Prior experiences of exclusion within and outside of healthcare settings informed PEH’s decision to avoid seeking healthcare until extremely urgent, and to deprioritise services like STI screening. In order to develop interventions to increase STI screening and other preventative health services, it is critical to understand the structural elements underlying relationships between PEH and healthcare systems, and the relevance of social exclusion beyond medicine. This street medicine team exemplifies features of structural competency, a model that may be integrated in other settings and in medical education to promote more equitable and inclusive healthcare.
