Unit 4 Assignment Literature Review Due Sunday by 11:59pm Points 100 Submitting a text entry box or a file upload Instructions This is part 2 of your evidence-based practice project. In this assignment, you will refer back to the topic you selected for your evidence-based practice problem from the identified list of topics provided by your course faculty in week 1 and the three articles selected from your week 2 assignment. For this assignment, you will interpret the three articles selected from your week 2 assignment. First, you must complete a matrix table for your three articles (see template provided below). Once you complete this matrix table, you will write a paper, including the following information: An introduction to the topic from week 2 and created PICOT question (although this information may be similar to what you provided in your week 2 assignment, be sure to paraphrase and not copy/paste directly from that assignment). For each of the three articles selected, describe the following: o Concepts explored in the article/study (This is the what of the study.) o Methods used in the article/study (Describe this in detail; its how of the study.) o Participants in the article/study (This is the who of the study.) o Instruments/tools in the student (This is the resources used to collect the data; .; survey, interview, etc. Be sure to include a discussion of reliability and validity, as well.) Conclusion/summary of the evidence. Be sure to provide the matrix table at the end of your paper as an appendix; failure to include this at the end of the paper or at all will result in point deduction. Remember to support your ideas with the articles you found. These articles should be less than five (5) years old. They should not be from the Web, but from the library databases, and be sure to use a narrative format. In addition, you must follow APA guidelines, providing a title page, reference page, appendix, and in-text citations, as well as use level headings to match the assignment criteria listed above. Please use, at minimum three scholarly references, and your paper should be 4-5 pages, excluding title and reference pages and the matrix table. Please review the rubric to ensure that your assignment meets criteria. Attached File Directions reminder : Place this completed Matrix at the end of the paper as an appendix Matrix Article/Reference (in APA format) Purpose of the Article/Study Question Variables (.; Independent vs. Dependent) Study Design Sampling Methods Instrument Findings/Results Directions: use my first paper to identify the PICOT, research focus and resources. Please feel free to exchange the choice of articles. Your new choice may be better. This assignment is a demonstration of the students ability to culminate the previous assignments related to Research methods and performing a literature review. Introduction Statement of the Research Question When recruiting nurses for prison health care, few candidates possess enough experience in all the related fields. Even experienced nurses are seldom prepared for the environment and its challenging population. Correctional nursing is a nursing specialty with unique features. Within correctional health care settings, the unavailability of physicians means that nurses are often the initial health care provider, thereby increasing the autonomy of correctional nurses. Research supports that knowledge-based upgrades improve nurses’ decision-making and problem-solving ability, resulting in better patient outcomes. This review of the literature reflects the interest in comparing the specialized training required of the correctional nurse compared to traditional nursing training when providing quality care to inmates, with in the first year of hire. P-correctional nurses, I-specialized training, C-compared to traditional nursing training, O- ability to provide quality care to inmates, T the first year of hire. Research methods include database searches in Gale OneFile and Pro-Quest- Nursing Allied Health Database. Publication years refined to after 2016, and keywords are corrections, correctional, education, nursing, and healthcare. Statement of the Purpose While there is an excellent need for correctional nurses, there remains concerns that those who choose to work in a correctional setting are “less than” real nurses or inadequate to work in traditional settings Clayton (, 2015). The purpose of this research is to examine correctional nursing training requirements compared to limited nurses’ training to provide quality health care to inmates. According to Chafin & Biddle (2013), the retention of nursing staff is more complex in a correctional facility. In a study after three years, only 20% of the nursing staff remained employed. Without retaining qualified correctional nurses, there are barriers to accessing care, disruption in continuity of care, and less time for mentoring. Competent correctional nurses improve patient healthcare outcomes, build confidence, and solidify the correctional nurse’s position within the nursing profession. Review of the Literature Blair (2020) suggests that correctional nurses may experience a sense of professional isolation because of the stigma by society as being incompetent compared to nurses in more traditional health care settings. Correctional nursing emerged as a specialty in 1976 when the United States Supreme Court in Estelle v Gamble determined that; “Failure to provide adequate health care to individuals confined in correctional institutions violated a prisoners’ constitutional rights.” Bickford (2020) states that the ANA 2020 definition of correctional nursing is the delivery of evidence-based nursing to protect, promote, and optimize health, prevent illness and injury; facilitate healing, and advocate for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations under the jurisdiction of the justice system. ANA emphasizes the importance of professional autonomy for this specialty when it stated in its standards of practice that the sole responsibility of correctional nursing is health care in correctional facilities Clayton (2015). Walker (2021) compares practicing nursing in a correctional setting as a bit like stepping through “the looking glass”–everything is the same, yet different. Correctional nurses enter an environment where health care is not the focus of activity, where all nursing standards apply but are practiced in a different context, and where patients are referred to as “inmates. According to Walker (2021), correctional nurses face many challenges that are not typical of nursing practice in the hospital setting. Correctional nurse researchers have pointed out that the unavailability of physicians within correctional health care settings means that nurses frequently are the initial provider of care. Correctional nurses are charges with a high level of professional autonomy. The article “Correctional Nurses Make a Difference” (2021) acknowledges that nurses working in Corrections face additional safety and security challenges. However, the nurses’ dedication, commitment, and passion for nursing often support working in corrections. Most hospitals and urgent care centers have response teams and practitioners onsite that provide IV and lab support. Correctional nurses must respond with custody officers when a medical emergency occurs at a prison, as safety is the number one priority. The nurse or team of nurses who respond to the crisis are responsible for initiating life-saving measures, stabilizing patients, and coordinating care with emergency room staff. Typically, nurses are not equipped with specialized training before working in the correctional system; therefore, written nursing protocols and procedures or nursing encounter tools facilitate nursing autonomy. Marsh (2021) suggests that continuing education for correctional nurses is necessary to acquire current knowledge of professional practice standards and guidelines. Correctional nurse authors have called for formal continuing education supporting assessment skills and decision-making, including a specialty track for forensic or correctional nursing at the graduate level. Nurse leaders suggest evidence of a need for robust research to investigate further and define evidence-based correctional nursing practice Marsh (, 2021). Schools of nursing are starting to include the needs of the inmate population in the curriculum. Nursing programs are needed that provide curriculums to prepare nursing students for careers in corrections. Partnerships with institutions of higher learning to establish onsite internships will provide hands-on experiences for future correctional nurses. An example of an academic and correctional facility’s collaboration is Terblanche et al. (2020) secondary analysis of interviews with undergraduate nursing students’ clinical rotation in a correctional facility. Student responses indicated that the clinical experience broadened perspectives related to the healthcare needs of underserved populations and the challenging role of the correctional nurse. The collaboration between the nursing program and the penal healthcare system demonstrated that with academic support, prisons offer students opportunities to observe talented registered nurse mentors and experiences providing care to diverse populations and their families. Correctional nurse credentialing upgrades are pushing the correctional nurse to the forefront. Smith’s (2015) article describes the importance of ACA Certification. The article identifies that certification is of professional value to the patient and institution and qualifies the nurse to mentor fellow nurses. Study materials for the certification exam materials provide evidence-based practice guidelines for working as a correctional nurse. Smith’s job title before certification was “clinical nurse,” but elevated to “clinical nurse specialist” after achieving certification. Certification is an avenue to an increased pay grade and promotion. Conclusion In summary, the correctional nurse’s role is complex and requires comprehensive nursing knowledge to address the diverse inmate population’s acuity levels. It is confirmed that newly hired nurses are often equipped with traditional nursing experience reflective of the community outside of the prison setting. Walker (2021) states that correctional nurses face many challenges that deviate from nursing practice in the hospital setting. Although nurses are committed to providing quality, safe care, correctional nurses must provide care while abiding by the rules and guidelines of custody to maintain safety. Shelton et al. (2015) states a call for correctional healthcare to meet the community standards of practice is on the table. Strategies for upgrading correctional nurse’s competency skills are being examined. Processes and curriculum for implementing nurse competency systems using clinical nursing science are articulated into correctional nursing practice.
