Evaluation of 2022 Nursing Intake Forms from Massachusetts Jails: Content Analysis and Accuracy Assessment

Abstract

The medical intake process is usually the first clinical interaction that people have after being incarcerated. In many states, the first vital person conducting this assessment is a nurse. In this project, nursing intake forms from Massachusetts jails were analyzed for the offer of 15 different screening and preventative services (e.g., HIV testing). Then, Health Services Administrators (HSAs) at the jails were asked to review and comment on the assessment. The average agreement rate between the project team members and HSAs was 73%. Twelve of the 14 jails had questions about history of HIV or HCV on the nursing intake form. Only 5 facilities discussed PrEP. There is potential to standardize the nursing intake form and therefore medical intake process. This must be done with key stakeholder groups, in particular nurses, to best understand the logistics of the complex medical intake process.