Chronic disease is common among our patients. In fact, 43% of federal inmates, 51% of state inmates, and 40% of local jail inmates have at least one chronic condition. Our patients have more diabetes, hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, and persistent asthma than the general population. This means all of us are managing chronic care clinics. Although often considered a provider’s…
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Correctional nurses face a daily struggle to care for their patients while delivering much-needed healthcare in a restricted environment. How can correctional nurses truly care for and care about their patient population? This is a question many of us in the specialty deeply consider as we try to elevate the professional status of correctional nursing. Caring has been described as…
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The radio calls a 10-99, Medical Emergency on unit 6-B. Arriving with the emergency bag, the nurse finds a crime scene in full swing. A person is hanging from a makeshift bed linen noose creatively tied around the upper bunk slats. Hanging is the most common form of successful suicide in corrections, and the actions taken in the first few…
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