Urology on the inside: managing the needs of the incarcerated

Abstract

Objective:

Despite a substantial body of literature on prisoner health and the management of specific conditions that affect incarcerated persons, there remains a paucity of data pertaining to the specific urological needs of prisoners. Additionally, no study has documented the impact of prison referrals on a department of urology.

Materials and methods:

A year-long prospective study was performed in a university hospital recording all contact made by detained persons with the department of urology.

Results:

A total of 77 clinical encounters were made by 47 detained patients from seven different institutions over 12 months. All patients were male. The most common reason for urological consultation was investigation of lower tract symptoms, but a total of 18 separate complaints were recorded, including acute trauma.

Conclusions:

The presence of several places of detention impacts significantly on a department’s workload. Management of persons detained under Home Office Licence in a general hospital poses several challenges, including confidentiality and security issues, privacy and patient concerns and prison personnel secondments. The transient nature of the prisoner population can pose difficulties for planned admissions and outpatient follow-up.