The use of health services by women living homeless in Madrid, Spain

Women living homeless make up a particularly vulnerable and significantly invisible collective, about which there is little information regarding the use of health services. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of health services by a sample of women living homeless in Madrid, Spain (n = 138). The information was compiled using structured interviews. Results show that women living homeless largely make use of health services (e.g., emergency care, hospitalization, and out-patient treatment) and tend to feel satisfied with them. However, a significant percentage of women living homeless did not hold a National Health Insurance Card, expressed dissatisfaction with the health services, and said that they did not receive medical care at a time when they considered it necessary. Some of the issues affected, to a greater extent, older women living homeless, foreign women, and those who had abused drugs at some point in their lives.