Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department
Abstract Patients in custody due to arrest or incarceration are a vulnerable population that present a unique ethical and logistical challenge for emergency physicians (EPs). People incarcerated in the United States have a constitutional right to health care. When caring for these patients, EPs must...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13143 |
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| author | Samantha Chao William Weber Kenneth V. Iserson Rebecca Goett Eileen F. Baker Sarayna S. McGuire Paul Bissmeyer Jr. Arthur R. Derse Nishi Kumar Jay M. Brenner |
| author_facet | Samantha Chao William Weber Kenneth V. Iserson Rebecca Goett Eileen F. Baker Sarayna S. McGuire Paul Bissmeyer Jr. Arthur R. Derse Nishi Kumar Jay M. Brenner |
| author_sort | Samantha Chao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Patients in custody due to arrest or incarceration are a vulnerable population that present a unique ethical and logistical challenge for emergency physicians (EPs). People incarcerated in the United States have a constitutional right to health care. When caring for these patients, EPs must balance their ethical obligations to the patient with security and safety concerns. They should refer to their institutional policy for guidance and their local, state, and federal laws, when applicable. Hospital legal counsel and risk management also can be helpful resources. EPs should communicate early and openly with law enforcement personnel to ensure security and emergency department staff safety is maintained while meeting the patient's medical needs. Physicians should consider the least restrictive restraints necessary to ensure security while allowing for medical evaluation and treatment. They should also protect patient privacy as much as possible within departmental constraints, promote the patient's autonomous medical decision‐making, and be mindful of ways that medical information could interact with the legal system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ed6030c7f104d5692048b4fa20fa5cd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2688-1152 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ed6030c7f104d5692048b4fa20fa5cd2025-08-20T01:58:34ZengElsevierJournal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open2688-11522024-04-0152n/an/a10.1002/emp2.13143Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency departmentSamantha Chao0William Weber1Kenneth V. Iserson2Rebecca Goett3Eileen F. Baker4Sarayna S. McGuire5Paul Bissmeyer Jr.6Arthur R. Derse7Nishi Kumar8Jay M. Brenner9Department of Emergency Medicine Michigan Medicine Ann Arbor Michigan USADepartment of Emergency Medicine Rush University Chicago Illinois USADepartment of Emergency Medicine The University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USADepartment of Emergency Medicine Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Newark New Jersey USARiverwood Emergency Services, Inc Perrysburg Ohio USADepartment of Emergency Medicine Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota USADepartment of Emergency Medicine Orange Park Hospital Jacksonville Florida USACenter for Bioethics and Medical Humanities and Department of Emergency Medicine Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee Wisconsin USACollege of Law Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans Louisiana USADepartment of Emergency Medicine SUNY‐Upstate Medical University Syracuse New York USAAbstract Patients in custody due to arrest or incarceration are a vulnerable population that present a unique ethical and logistical challenge for emergency physicians (EPs). People incarcerated in the United States have a constitutional right to health care. When caring for these patients, EPs must balance their ethical obligations to the patient with security and safety concerns. They should refer to their institutional policy for guidance and their local, state, and federal laws, when applicable. Hospital legal counsel and risk management also can be helpful resources. EPs should communicate early and openly with law enforcement personnel to ensure security and emergency department staff safety is maintained while meeting the patient's medical needs. Physicians should consider the least restrictive restraints necessary to ensure security while allowing for medical evaluation and treatment. They should also protect patient privacy as much as possible within departmental constraints, promote the patient's autonomous medical decision‐making, and be mindful of ways that medical information could interact with the legal system.https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13143autonomycarceralcustodyincarceratedlaw enforcementprison |
| spellingShingle | Samantha Chao William Weber Kenneth V. Iserson Rebecca Goett Eileen F. Baker Sarayna S. McGuire Paul Bissmeyer Jr. Arthur R. Derse Nishi Kumar Jay M. Brenner Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians Open autonomy carceral custody incarcerated law enforcement prison |
| title | Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| title_full | Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| title_fullStr | Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| title_full_unstemmed | Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| title_short | Best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| title_sort | best practice guidelines for evaluating patients in custody in the emergency department |
| topic | autonomy carceral custody incarcerated law enforcement prison |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13143 |
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