Medication Management in the Correctional Setting

This Quick Start Guide provides nurses with the knowledge, tools, and resources to excel in managing medications while caring for patients in the correctional setting. Each chapter covers one aspect of medication management and includes questions that you can use to apply the information to your own setting. At the end of the book, we have provided links to additional information, tools, and resources that correspond to each chapter.

In the free world, individuals choose when and where to have their prescriptions filled. They also take their medication when and where they choose. In correctional settings, inmates must rely on nurses to ensure prompt and timely treatment with prescribed medication. In these settings, nurses are responsible for obtaining the medication from the pharmacy and then delivering it to the patient. The same is true of refills and renewals: Nurses have a pivotal role in ensuring that treatment is initiated promptly and that there is no discontinuity in prescribed medication. Correctional nurses must negotiate with all aspects of the system (custody staff, the court, providers, and pharmacy) to remove barriers that prevent prompt and timely treatment.