Descriptive analysis evaluates clinical and social outcomes in homeless individuals with mental illness, suggesting significant improvements through ECRC care.
Background Homeless people with mental illness (HPWMI) are an ultra-vulnerable population with unmet clinical and social needs. To address this, the Government of Tamil Nadu, India, launched the Emergency Care and Recovery Centres (ECRCs) in 2019 to rescue, treat, and reintegrate HPWMI with their families. We conducted this study to evaluate the clinical and social outcomes of individuals admitted to ECRCs. Methods We conducted a descriptive analysis of case records for individuals admitted to 13 ECRCs between January and December 2023. Using simple random sampling, 250 records were selected from all admissions during this period. We retrospectively extracted social, demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes using data-extraction forms. The characteristics and outcome were summarized and reported as proportions. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Human Ethics Committee of ICMR–NIE. Findings A total of 1619 individuals were admitted during the study period. We retrieved 250 case records. The majority were male (59%, 148/250) and were aged 26–50 years (75%, 162/217). Schizophrenia spectrum disorders were the most common psychiatric diagnosis (57%, 137/242). Physical comorbidities were present in 20% (49/250), with anaemia being the most frequent. Majority (71%, 135/190) showed weight gain at discharge, and 46% (84/184, 95%CI: 38–53) were reintegrated with families. Interpretation The ECRC program has the potential to contribute to improving clinical and social outcomes among HPWMIs. Long-term care models are required for individuals who were not reintegrated with families after initial rehabilitation.
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