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Clinical Guidelines
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Clinical Guidelines
Under Review |
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NCCHC's Policy and Standards Committee has adopted a
new, streamlined format for the Clinical Guidelines for
Correctional Facilities. All guidelines are under review
and will be reissued this Fall. |
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Forms for
Chronic Care |
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Three forms, along
with instructions for use, are the final pieces in a
program for monitoring chronic diseases. |
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care has
adopted several clinical guidelines to help correctional health
care professionals effectively manage diseases commonly found in
jails, prisons and juvenile confinement facilities. The
guidelines are adapted for the correctional environment from
nationally accepted clinical guidelines prepared by other
organizations, including the National Institutes of Health; the
American Diabetes Association; the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. They are written in a way to specifically help
correctional health care providers improve patient care
outcomes.
The guidelines were born of a study on the
health needs of soon-to-be-released inmates, which was released
to Congress in 2002. In a cooperative agreement with the
National Institute of Justice, NCCHC reviewed national clinical
guidelines and found that none addressed the unique challenges
of providing care in correctional settings. To remedy this,
NCCHC established a panel of experts to review existing
guidelines, evidence-based medical practices and other reference
materials, and adapt the materials for use by correctional
health care professionals.
The guidelines encourage total disease
management, which requires clear indicators of the degree of
control of the patient’s disease and, frequently, the more
subtle distinction as to whether the condition is stable,
improving or deteriorating. The guidelines also alert the health
care provider to barriers to appropriate treatment commonly
found in correctional facilities. However, the guidelines cannot
and do not substitute for individual clinical professional
judgment based upon a specific patient's presentation.
The guidelines are reviewed routinely by NCCHC
and updated periodically. Be sure also to download the
Definitions
of Disease Control and Clinical Status (rev. May 2008).
NCCHC's Clinical Guidelines
for Correctional Facilities
Note: The
Clinical Guidelines are being reviewed and
will be reissued in a new, streamlined format this fall.
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