Commonly used nursing interventions in a prison facility
Seeing that the people located in the prison facilities are entitled to the same healthcare and nursing services as the rest of the U.S. citizens (American Civil Liberties Union, 2016), correctional nursing interventions are very similar to the ones listed in the NIC (Johnson et al., 2011). However, certain changes are made to the NI provision methods due to the specifics of the setting. As Pyrek highlights, “Delivery of patient care within the unique and distinct environment of the criminal justice system” (Pyrek, 2012, p. 422). Therefore, the correctional NI is supposed to focus on administering similar services to the target audience in an environment of high-rate security and rather low flexibility. Among the most common services, chronic pain and mental health management, emergency care, substance abuse treatment, and abuse protection need to be brought up.
Evidence-based nursing practice interventions currently implemented in the prison facility
Unfortunately, though being long-awaited (), the provision of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the context of the U.S. correctional facilities has not yet been completed fully (Blandford & Osher, 2013). With the above information in mind, one must consider the adoption of an educational approach so that nurses could understand the target population’s needs. Therefore, the promotion of awareness among nurses and prisoners alike is the most efficient tool in promoting EBP in the environment of correctional facilities. The current legal system advocates punishment rather than rehabilitation (Almost et al., 2013), which prevents forensic nurses from focusing on the individual needs of the patients. Nevertheless, nursing experts must make a difference in the contemporary environment of correctional institutions and reinforce the significance of EBP.
Nursing interventions commonly used in the prison facility that is NOT evidence-based (supported by research)
Among the prison nursing facilities that do not belong to the EBP area, the services related to mental disorders and chronic diseases management along with emergency care must be mentioned (Arribas-López, 2015). However, according to recent reports, the quality of these services is beyond deplorable, as prisoners suffer from chronic issues, mental disorders, and unavailability of emergency treatment on a regular basis (American Association of the Colleges of Nursing, 2015).
Brief description of reasons for using the current nursing interventions
The environment that prisoners are forced to live in creates premises for developing a range of chronic conditions, including hypertension, asthma, arthritis, etc. (Marushak, 2015). In addition, a lot of prisoners suffer from HIV (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Herein lies the necessity to apply nursing interventions.
Brief description of where you found the evidence to support current interventions used in the prison facility
To support the above interventions, I had to research the current health issues faced by prison inmates. The required information was located in peer-reviewed journals from the databases such as NCBI and Elsevier, as well as the official site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). Therefore, the two databases listed above were used as the primary source of the data necessary for the analysis.
Your written plan for implementation of the evidence-based practice intervention you addressed, based on commonly used nursing intervention in the prison facility
Because of the underrepresentation of EBP in correctional facilities, it is strongly recommended that the provision of interventions should start with raising awareness of the subject matter. It is only afterward that a comprehensive program aimed at carrying out regular testing should be provided. As soon as the series of tests are included in the current correctional nursing system, the promotion of EBP and a patient-centered approach (Stazesky, Hughes, & Venters, 2012) should be encouraged to develop an appropriate treatment strategy. Finally, the process of raising awareness among prisoners regarding the health issues identification and prevention needs to be launched. It is desirable that the program implementation process should take an average of a month per facility.
Reference List
Almost, J., Gifford, W. A., Doran, D., Ogilvie, L., Miller, C., Rose, D. N., & Squires, M. (2013). Correctional nursing: a study protocol to develop an educational intervention to optimize nursing practice in a unique context. Implementation Science, 8(1), 71-76. Web.
American Association of the Colleges of Nursing. (2015). The Doctor of Nursing Practice: Current issues and clarifying recommendations. Web.
American Civil Liberties Union. (2016). Medical and mental health care. Web.
Arribas-López, E. (2015). A review of the regulatory and functional aspects of prison health care and nursing staff. Revista Española de Sanidad Penitenciaria, 17(3), 82-88.
Blandford, A. M., & Osher, F. (2013). Guidelines for the successful transition of people with behavioral health disorders from jail and prison. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). HIV among incarcerated populations. Web.
Johnson, M., Bulechek, G. M., Dochterman, G. M. M., Maas, M. L., Moorhead, S., Swanson, E., & Butcher, H. K. (2011). NOC and NIC Linkages to NANDA-I and clinical conditions: Nursing diagnosis, outcomes, and interventions. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Marushak, L. (2015). Medical problems of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, 2011–12. Web.
Pyrek, K. (2012). Forensic nursing. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Stazesky, R., Hughes, G., & Venters, H. (2012). Implementation of an electronic health record in the New York City jail system. Web.