A 48-year-old woman, arrested for Driving Under the Influence, collapses in her jail cell and is pronounced dead of a pulmonary embolism after emergency transport to the nearby hospital. A lawsuit is settled by mediation and two staff members are disciplined for negligent behavior after an internal investigation. Keeping patients safe is fundamental to our roles as correctional health professionals….
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Correctional Nurse Clinical Update: Skin Assessment: Common Lesions
Ask any nurse who triages the medical requests or any nurse who conducts nurse sick call, and they will tell you that skin rashes and lesions are frequently a problem for our patients in the correctional environment. This has been attributed to a number of unique characteristics of the correctional environment, like being in close quarters, and patients with histories…
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Correctional Nurse Practice Update: Addressing Food Allergies in Corrections
Food allergies can be a real challenge for correctional nurses. It is important to document these allergies during intake screenings and put safeguards in place to avoid allergic reactions behind bars. However, incarcerated individuals can report food allergies that are really preferences (I’m allergic to bologna sandwiches) or food intolerances (I’m allergic to onions). How can true allergies be sorted…
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