Virtual Mentor. February 2008, Volume 10, Number 2: 79-132. Full Issue PDF

February 2008 Contents

Caring for the Incarcerated Patient

Ethics Poll

As wards of the state, prisoners are guaranteed health care, a fact that many citizens find unfair. Which of the following statements best expresses how you feel about prisoners' access to health care?
Prisoners should not receive health care.
Prisoners should receive health care only for emergency conditions, acute infections, and illnesses that pose public health threats. They should not be provided treatment and medication for non-life-threatening, chronic conditions that many non-incarcerated people cannot afford.
Prisoners should receive care for all emergency and chronic conditions but should not be eligible for organ transplants.
Prisoners should receive the same scope and quality of health care that is available to non-prisoners.

A prisoner with severe medical illness who is a threat to himself or others should retain his right to refuse psychotropic medication.
Agree
Disagree

During incarceration prisoners should have access to:
(Check as many as apply.)
Education leading to a GED (high school degree equivalent)
Counseling on how to get a job.
Health and lifestyle education.
None of the above.

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From the Editor

Guaranteed Access, Not Guaranteed Quality
Sarah Lee
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:81-83.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Assessing Demand for Wheelchair Use
Commentary by Owen J. Murray
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:84-87.

Should a Prisoner Be Placed on the Organ Transplant Waiting List?
Commentary by Andrew M. Cameron, Aruna K. Subramanian, Mark S. Sulkowski, David L. Thomas, and Kenrad E. Nelson
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:88-91.

Correctional Mental Health
Commentary by Jeffrey L. Metzner
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:92-95.

Journal Discussion

Physician Empathy in Correctional Facilities: Still in Need of Analysis
Ellena Bennett and Jamie S. Hirsch
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:96-101.

Clinical Pearl

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Incarcerated Patients
Howard J. Worman
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:102-105.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Forced Medication of Prison Inmates
Lee Black
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:106-109.

Policy Forum

Condoms in Prison: The Ethical Dilemma
Robert E. Fullilove
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:110-112.

Medicine and Society

Why Prisoners Deserve Health Care
Joseph E. Paris
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:113-115.

Hard Time and Health Care: The Squeeze on Medicine Behind Bars
E. Bernadette McKinney
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:116-120.

History, Art and Narrative

Medical Narrative

Breaking Down Walls
Julia Dombrowski
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:121-122.

Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Delivering Care in a Non-Health-Care Space
Nancy Neveloff Dubler
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Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:123-125.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:126-129.

About the Contributors
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2008; 10:130-132.