Ectoparasites. The Challenges and Successes in a Correctional Setting.
Nature and scope of the project
The field of correctional medicine is one that is often times vaguely known to the rest of the health care matrix. However, in every county jail across the US, there is typically a nurse that ensures access to care is provided to the patients behind the walls with and strives to ensure no patient de-escalates. Such health care setting has its challenges and the struggles of ectoparasites is one of them. The purpose of this evidence base project is to review current supporting literature in regards to best practices to contain ectoparasites in a correctional setting, review the challenges of ectoparasites that have recently surfaced at Cermak Cook County Jail , evaluate the jails interventions, and provide recommendations to neighboring jails along with the lessons learned by the healthcare team.
Synthesis and analysis of supporting literature
One of the challenges with nursing and correctional settings is that unlike other healthcare settings, research and best practices are often limited and jails tend to be dictated by litigation and the Department of Justice as patients have a constitutional right to healthcare services. For this reason, there is a strong need for nurses across jails and prisons to share their evidence-based practices and findings for circumstances specific to correctional settings.
In Kending’s et al., (2024) article of Infection Prevention and Control in Correctional Settings. Emerging Infectious Diseases, the challenges of controlling infections in correctional settings are highlighted along with the unforeseeable barriers that tend to be out of the healthcare team’s hands. Furthermore, depending on the size and location of certain jail/prisons, resources maybe limited or moving patients may not be an option in the efforts to control for example a lice outbreak. While there are findings as to best practices to manage lice (2016), nurses and the healthcare team need to know specific approaches as it relates to a jail and prison setting. This presentation will review current supporting literature of best practices that can guide a learner to comprehend what are the best tactics to controlling ectoparasites and start brainstorming how to implement such practices in a correctional setting.
Reference
Kendig, N. E., Bur, S., & Zaslavsky, J. (2024). Infection Prevention and Control in Correctional Settings. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 30(13), 88-93. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3013.230705.
Sangaré, A. K., Doumbo, O. K., & Raoult, D. (2016). Management and Treatment of Human Lice. BioMed research international, 2016, 8962685. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8962685
Project implementation
Cermak Cook County Jail is the largest single cited jail in the country. We are accredited by the National Commission of Correctional Medicine (NCCHC) and strive to provide quality patient centered care. In 2024, we have had an increase in lice outbreaks in a specific area within the compound. While the healthcare team responded to this immediately with our regular practices, containing the lice has been a challenge. This year we have taken a new approach to the situation and have implemented interventions specific to the correctional setting. The efforts are a collaboration between nursing, infectious disease, medical and the department of corrections officer. This poster presentation highlights the lessons learned from our new approach to addressing and controlling the lice situation at the jail along with future suggestions and ongoing need for more evidence-based interventions.
Evaluation criteria
This project will demonstrate how many patients with lice were identified during the lice sweep (prior to interventions) in the specific area of interest, along with the results after a seven-day assessment lead by the nursing team.
Outcomes
Outcomes currently are not available. However, once the conclusion of the teams’ interventions is finalized, we will be able to evaluate the results of our interventions based on the level of control of current lice findings on patients compared to those at the start of the year.
Recommendations
Recommendations are currently not available as the team is awaiting to see the results to solidify what works and what does not work. That being said it is evident at this time that the need for further research is needed regarding this topic along with ongoing challenges in the field of correctional nursing.
Ectoparasites. The Challenges and Successes in a Correctional Setting.
