Attending to the Mental Health of People Who Are Homeless by Mobile Telephone Follow-Up: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: More than 20% of the world’s population has no decent or suitable home. People who are homeless have more health problems than the rest of the population, especially mental health-type problems. The main objective of this study was to identify follow-up interventions by using mobile telephones to improve the mental health of people who are homeless and to analyze their efficiency. Methods: To do so, a systematic review was carried out in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Ebscohost, and PsyInfo databases. Results: Studies conclude that mobile phone use is a suitable means to improve adherence to medication and the mental health of the homeless. However, significant attempts to demonstrate health benefits by means of reliable and valid instruments that supplement qualitative satisfaction and feedback instruments appear to be lacking. Conclusions: The literature about mental health benefits through technology for people who are homeless is scarce and shows methodological limitations that can lead to failure when setting up methodologies in clinical practice.

Keywords

• intervention
• smartphone
• mental health
• people who are homeless