Prison and jail medical units are over-represented by female staff, creating a number of challenges to avoiding unhealthy patient relationships. It is a common saying that incarcerated persons go to medical to ‘enjoy the view’, and in one prison system in which I worked, it was explicitly stated to all orientees, “You cannot have sex with an inmate.” As crass…
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Terminal illness is an increasing possibility as incarcerated persons age and remain in custody. This can be a time of great sorrow, loneliness, suspicion, pain, and suffering for incarcerated individuals. They may have great fear of dying alone, in pain and without support. Every correctional facility will inevitably have an incarcerated individual who is diagnosed with a terminal condition. Are…
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This post continues our series on Documentation for Correctional Nurses with a discussion of electronic health records. The Electronic Health Record Today, many systems are using an electronic health record (EHR). The benefits of an EHR include improved legibility, improved efficiency, and improved availability of patient information to all staff. The clinical decision support included in most EHRs today allows…
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