Homeless population and access to the health services: perspectives and determinants

Abstract

Objective: to understand the homeless population’s perception about access to the health services. Method: the study has a qualitative approach of a descriptive nature. It counted on the participation of nine homeless individuals, selected through simple random sampling, with data collection from a semi-structured interview and content analysis. Results: the findings showed that the homeless population has precarious access to the health services, since barriers such as lack of knowledge and documentation and little or no access to preventive methods have been reported. The most frequently used devices were urgency and emergency services. Conclusion: from the perception of this population, the breaking of physical and bureaucratic barriers that restrict this access becomes emergent, in order to improve quality of care.