Pain in People Experiencing Homelessness: A Scoping Review.

People experiencing homelessness are at increased risk for developing pain and having an especially burdensome pain experience. This scoping review described the current literature on pain in people experiencing homelessness. We searched five databases and identified 69 articles of relevance. Studies revealed that people experiencing homelessness have high rates of pain and experience high levels of pain intensity and interference. Fewer studies examined other factors relevant to pain­such as self-management, treatment-seeking behaviors, and pain care within health settings­however, initial evidence does suggest that pain is undermanaged in people experiencing homelessness. This scoping review informs future research to better understand pain and homelessness, as well as future work to develop interventions to address the specific pain care needs of people experiencing homelessness.