Being exposed to a robust pathology and diversity of patients I felt that at times I found myself lost in the intricacies of medical cases and often forget that the cases are indeed people. While obtaining social history I am always keen to ask about the usual smoking, drinking, illicit drugs and sometimes work history but I almost never have asked about living situation. This is very much a large mistake. Understanding what happens to a patient when they leave the hospital or clinic is just as important as understanding what is going on to them in the clinic or hospital, if not more as our patients ideally spend much more time in their living situation. This discussion has opened my eyes regarding the complexity of homelessness and made me realize there is no face of homelessness and anyone can be a victim. I also understood that even patients who qualify for disability will not get it if they are in fact homeless which I found shocking and unfortunate. It is important to continue to learn about our patient poplation, their living situation and understand them not only when they come to our clinic or hospital but also understand how their life is after they leave the medical office or hospital.
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