Questionnaire to avoid transfers to healthcare: a Brazilian experience.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether training correctional facility (CF) officers in the admission process would identify risk factors for inmates' unscheduled transfers to healthcare units in the first 24 hours. Design/methodology/approach Correctional officers (COs) were trained to use a questionnaire with ten closed questions, which seeks to identify occupational or nosocomial risk, applied upon the admission of inmates to a CF. Findings There were 1,288 admissions in six CFs in Ribeirão Preto and Serra Azul/Brazil from March 2010 to May 2011. Of those admissions, 21.2 percent were in penitentiaries and 78.9 percent in provisional detention centers. Of the questionnaires applied, 580 answered affirmatively (45 percent) for one or more of the questions, with nearly 60 percent related to drug use in the last 12 hours, 37.7 percent use of medications while the most frequently mentioned diseases were respiratory diseases (37 percent) and mental disorders (19 percent).The number of positive responses per evaluation presented an odds ratio of 3.6 (CI 95% - 1.6, 10.5) for unscheduled transfers for external clinical evaluation. Research limitations/implications The lack of a control group and the fact that morbidities described by prisoners could not be confirmed are study limitations. The research does, however, still contribute to the goal of achieving appropriate medical care within CFs. Originality/value The training of COs to identify risk factors that predict the need for unplanned transfers to healthcare units was feasible. These findings have important implications for CFs that do not provide ongoing medical service, a universal reality in Brazil.

The need to improve health care in prisons.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze physical structure, working conditions of health professionals and outline of the procedures established in prisons. METHODS: We analyzed 34 provisional detention centers and 69 male and six female prison units in the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2009. A self-applied instrument was developed to collect quantitative data on the characteristics of health care structure, equipment and personnel in prisons. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) or equivalent non-parametric tests and Chi-square or Fisher's tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively, between the groups. RESULTS: The main problems were delays in the results of laboratory tests and imaging. With respect to the teams, it was observed that a large majority were in conditions close to those proposed by the Bipartite Commission 2013 but without improvement being reflected in the indicators. With respect to the process, more than 60.0% of prisons located in small towns do not have the structural conditions to ensure secondary or tertiary health care for the continuity of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This profile of prisons in the country can be used for planning and monitoring future actions for the continuous improvement of healthcare processes.

Necessidade de aprimoramento do atendimento à saúde no sistema carcerário / The need to improve health care in prisons

OBJETIVO Analisar a estrutura física, as condições de trabalho dos profissionais da saúde e o delineamento de processos estabelecidos em unidades prisionais. MÉTODOS Foram analisados 34 centros de detenção provisória e 69 unidades prisionais masculinas e seis femininas do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, em 2009. Foi desenvolvido instrumento autoaplicativo para coleta de dados quantitativos sobre as características de estrutura, equipamento e pessoal para atendimento à saúde nas unidades prisionais. A análise de variância (ANOVA) ou equivalente não paramétrico e os testes de Qui-quadrado ou Fisher foram utilizados para comparação de variáveis contínuas ou categóricas, respectivamente, entre os grupos estudados. RESULTADOS Os principais problemas foram o retardo nos resultados de exames laboratoriais e de imagem. Quanto às equipes, grande maioria apresentou condições próximas da proposta pela Comissão InterGestores Bipartite 2013, mas sem que isso se refletisse em melhoria dos indicadores. Com relação ao processo, observou-se que mais de 60,0% das unidades prisionais estão localizadas em cidades pequenas, sem condições estruturais de saúde para garantir o atendimento secundário ou terciário para continuidade do processo de tratamento. CONCLUSÕES O perfil apresentado das unidades prisionais do País poderá ser utilizado para planejamento e acompanhamento de ações futuras para melhoria contínua das condições estruturais de saúde. .

OBJECTIVE To analyze physical structure, working conditions of health professionals and outline of the procedures established in prisons. METHODS We analyzed 34 provisional detention centers and 69 male and six female prison units in the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2009. A self-applied instrument was developed to collect quantitative data on the characteristics of health care structure, equipment and personnel in prisons. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) or equivalent non-parametric tests and Chi-square or Fisher’s tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively, between the groups. RESULTS The main problems were delays in the results of laboratory tests and imaging. With respect to the teams, it was observed that a large majority were in conditions close to those proposed by the Bipartite Commission 2013 but without improvement being reflected in the indicators. With respect to the process, more than 60.0% of prisons located in small towns do not have the structural conditions to ensure secondary or tertiary health care for the continuity of treatment. CONCLUSIONS This profile of prisons in the country can be used for planning and monitoring future actions for the continuous improvement of healthcare processes. .