Hospice care in prison: general principles and outcomes.
In recent years, tougher sentencing laws have resulted in larger numbers of elder prison inmates and, consequently, more deaths occurring in prisons. In this context, the introduction of prison hospice programs takes on great significance. The purpose of this study is to identify the principle components and outcomes of prison hospice programs based on data gathered from semistructured telephone interviews with prison hospice providers in state and federal correctional institutions and from other sources. The results suggest that there is a growing effort to provide palliative care to dying inmates across the country and that all of the existing programs share common elements and similar structures. Major outcomes of prison hospice programs include cost-effectiveness, enhanced correction, and comfort care.
Yampolskaya
Svetlana
S
Department of Child and Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Winston
Norma
N
D017051:Hospice Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology; D011330:Prisons / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014838:Volunteers / Q000458:organization & administration