SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-A Novel Clinical Pathway to Inform Care of Hospitalized Patients Who Are Incarcerated

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The document describes a new Yale-led clinical pathway for hospitalized patients who are incarcerated, developed through the DePART initiative (Detained Patients’ Advocacy and Rights throughout Treatment). It frames incarceration as a major health justice issue, noting the large number of people affected by prisons, jails, probation, parole, and criminal records, and highlighting how incarcerated and justice-involved populations face inequitable healthcare and disproportionate burdens due to race, poverty, and mental illness.<br /><br />The project emerged from an educational and community-engaged process. An AAMC-supported event, “Accountability to the Community,” brought together students, faculty, and community experts in incarceration and healthcare. Listening sessions, qualitative needs assessments, and iterative focus groups informed the creation of a patient bill of rights and Yale’s Care Signature Pathway for Incarcerated Patient Care. The pathway is intended to guide hospital-based clinicians in providing safer, more equitable care for patients who are detained or incarcerated.<br /><br />The document emphasizes that hospital clinicians often have limited experience caring for incarcerated patients, while existing medical education and literature on this topic are sparse, especially in graduate and continuing medical education. It also cites seven key domains where hospitalized incarcerated patients may receive different care: reduced provider engagement, privacy violations, impaired autonomy, fewer interventions, continuous shackling, limited environmental control, and disrupted transitions of care.<br /><br />Next steps include expanding education about the pathway across Yale New Haven Health, tracking how often it is used, standardizing documentation of restraints and related complications with nursing partners, and evaluating its impact on documentation quality, HIPAA compliance, adverse events, and readmissions. The team also hopes to disseminate the pathway to other institutions.

Asset Subtitle

Sharon Ostfeld-Johns

Meta Tag

Author List Carmen Black, Lisa Puglisi, Monya Saunders, Sharon Ostfeld-Johns, Tiheba Bain

Category Innovations

Concept Incarcerated Patient

Concept Health Equity

Concept Clinical Pathway

Concept Privacy

Concept Autonomy

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Yale School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hospital Medicine

Presenting Author Sharon Ostfeld-Johns

Track Patient Safety

Keywords

incarcerated patients

health justice

clinical pathway

Yale

DePART initiative

patient rights

hospitalized detainees

healthcare inequity

medical education

restraint documentation

Incarcerated Patient

Health Equity

Clinical Pathway

Privacy

Autonomy