Course:LIBR559A/McInnes (2013)

Citation

McInnes, D. K., Li, A. E., & Hogan, T. P. (2013). Opportunities for Engaging Low-Income, Vulnerable Populations in Health Care: A Systematic Review of Homeless Persons’ Access to and Use of Information Technologies. American Journal of Public Health, 103(S2), e11–e24.

Annotation

This article is a systemic review that considers studies into communications with homeless populations. This research was primarily aimed at developing new methods of communicating health information to homeless populations. This research can also be used when considering methods to enhance communications with homeless populations in general.

The major finding of the study was that technology use amongst homeless populations was higher than expected. Studies found that mobile phone ownership ranged from 44% to 62% of the population. The authors note that this speaks to the ubiquity of computer technology in our current society. They also noted that many program exist that provide free or low cost access to mobile phones and computers.

As this was a systematic review, the authors relied on the findings of others to reach their conclusions. In search 5 bibliographic databases they only found 16 articles that studied communications with homeless populations. They also note that these studies all use relatively small sample sizes, the largest sample size was 256. The studies included in the review also used convenience sampling and were restricted to a single city or neighborhood. The authors also note that their survey method had limitations as well. They only searched literature in English and did not consider publications from government organizations, community groups or other entities that produce gray literature.

This research would be of interest to libraries as the review found that public libraries play a crucial role in the homeless population's access to technology. The review found that 87.2% of respondents in the studies considered reported using a public library to use a computer and access the internet. The review may also be of interest for librarians work with homeless populations as it proposes several potential avenues for further research, which libraries could play a part in conducting. This includes developing experimental or quasi-experimental projects to test the outcomes of technology use amongst homeless populations.

Areas / Topics / Keywords

Communications, Homelessness, Information Technology, Health

Page Author: Logan Bingle