An Educational Intervention to Improve Knowledge of Nurses Caring for Patients Experiencing Incarceration

Background: Incarcerated people have high rates of chronic health conditions but receive care from staff who have limited training on their unique medical, legal, and ethical care needs. There are few documented educational nursing interventions related to the care of incarcerated patients. Method: The authors created and disseminated a brief educational intervention for nurses on the care needs unique to incarcerated patients and subsequently surveyed the nurses to determine their comfort level and knowledge of best practices when caring for this population. Results: Nurses completed a post-education survey that showed 90% or greater accuracy on knowledge questions. In addition, 90% of nurses agreed that the session increased their comfort when caring for incarcerated patients. Conclusion: Brief educational interventions can substantially improve knowledge and comfort in caring for incarcerated patients. Short modules are easily incorporated into routine education and are an effective strategy for enhancing care practices.