Perspectives of shelter workers on their role in assisting homeless persons with latent tuberculosis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of shelter workers involved in a treatment program for homeless persons with latent tuberculosis. The conceptual orientation for this study consisted of components of the Health Belief Model. This descriptive study was a secondary data analysis of interviews from homeless shelter workers (N = 14). Analysis of data for five research questions addressing various dimensions of the role of shelter workers helping homeless persons maintain preventive therapy for latent tuberculosis resulted in 484 thematic units. Content analysis was used to group the thematic units in 22 researcher derived subcategories. Major benefits to maintenance of preventive therapy included health care, liaison, education, and outreach. Barriers to therapy maintenance included transience, lack of transportation, lack of education, and non-adherence. Cues to action included eligibility and incentive. Results have the potential to guide nurses' interventions related to shelter workers working with homeless populations.