This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Courtwright, A. Articles by Collichio, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Courtwright, A. Articles by Collichio, F. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Lung Cancer Palliative Care Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Shackled: The Challenge of Caring for an Incarcerated Patient

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Theresa Raphael-Grimm, PhD

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Frances Collichio, MD

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, fcollich{at}med.unc.edu

Hospice care for inmates is widely recognized as an important way of providing efficient, cost-effective palliative care to a growing number of dying inmates. The case presented here is of a 34-year-old inmate who was admitted to a tertiary-care hospital for diagnostic tests and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. While he was in the hospital, his clinical status rapidly deteriorated and it was clear that palliative care was most appropriate. Prison restrictions prevented the health care team from sharing the patient's clinical status with his family. He was forbidden many interventions that would have improved his comfort, such as watching television. The problems illustrated by this case occur many times in United States tertiary-care hospitals, and it is hoped that by describing it, more compassionate care for inmate patients, regardless of location, can be provided.

Key Words: prison inmates • palliative care • cancer

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Vol. 25, No. 4, 315-317 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1049909108315912


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. Zelaya The Challenges of Caring for an Incarcerated Patient American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, June 1, 2009; 26(3): 230 - 231. [PDF]