Training in service: perception of health workers in assistance in federal prison units

Abstract

Objectives: To characterize the in-service training process of health workers from federal prison units. Method: This is a qualitative descriptive-exploratory study. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews with professionals of the referred services, from June to October 2018. Results: Data analysis revealed that health professionals were unaware of the work performed within these establishments and that the concern of these institutions by the improvement of these workers is recent and marked by isolated actions. Of the courses offered, few contemplate the reality of prison health causing the server to seek knowledge on their own. Due to the violent and confining environment, the health team lacks courses such as defense and weaponry. Conclusions and implications for practice: The study reveals flaws in the training strategies offered by the organization and incipient managerial awareness about the professional and emotional preparation of these workers.

The role of prison nursing: an integrative review

“…Barbosa et al 19 and Brito et al 28 differ with Sánchez-Roig et al 26 in stating that professionals showed adequate skills in caring for inmates and adapting to the prison environment, the reason being that the nursing staff considered the inmates to be like any other patient, with their own health problems, and were not felt to be a unique population.…”

“…De igual manera, Barbosa et al 19 y Brito et al 28 también manifiestan que es necesario reforzar las habilidades y competencias de las enfermeras con respecto al cuidado de los presos mediante una formación continua que se adecúe al entorno penitenciario, al igual que se haría en cualquier otro ámbito de la salud. A la misma conclusión llegan Choudhry et al 29 , puesto que los autores consideran necesario conocer la identidad profesional de la enfermería penitenciaria para comprender cuáles son sus competencias en dicha institución y, así, poder aplicar mejoras en su formación, para conseguir que sea continua y específica, con el fin de que se adecúe a los requerimientos dentro del entorno penitenciario.…”

“…Por otro lado, Barbosa et al 19 y Brito et al 28 se diferencian con Sánchez-Roig et al 26 en que las/los profesionales puestos a estudio mostraron una adecuada capacidad para la atención a los reclusos y para adaptarse a este entorno, puesto que las enfermeras consideraban a los presos como un paciente más con sus propios problemas de salud, y no como una población distinta.…”

“…Finalmente, Brito et al 28 y Santana et al 20 concluyen de forma similar en que la existencia de la escasa formación específica de la enfermera en el ámbito hecho prioritario, al igual que lo es el mantenimiento de la ética y de los principios que rigen la profesión enfermera, como el deber de cuidar de los reclusos.…”

“…Barbosa et al 19 and Brito et al 28 also state that it is essential to reinforce nurses’ skills and abilities to enable them to adequately care for prisoners, through continuous training adapted to the prison setting, just like any other area of medical practice. Choudhry et al 29 came to the same conclusion and stated that a more accurate notion of the professional identity of prison nursing is necessary to enable better understanding of the skills required in such an institution and to be better able to apply improvements to their training, to make it continuous and specific, and so ensure that it is appropriate to needs in prison settings.…”