Ferszt Ginette G, Clarke Jennifer G
University of Rhode Island, College of Nursing, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2012 May;23(2):557-69. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2012.0048.
Although standards for pregnancy-related health care in correctional facilities have been established, there is no mandatory accreditation that requires adherence to these standards. Furthermore, this information has been difficult to access from correctional facilities across the country.
To examine the health care practices of pregnant women in state prisons, a survey with 62 multiple choice questions and four open-ended questions was developed. Wardens of 50 women's state correctional facilities were contacted to describe the study and request participation. Nineteen facilities completed the survey, for a 38% response rate.
The findings of this study provide further evidence of the substandard care that pregnant incarcerated women receive in correctional facilities. In many state prisons, nutritional recommendations for a healthy pregnancy are not met, adequate rest is compromised and lower bunks are not required. Psychosocial support and education are minimal at best. The use of restraints, which can compromise the health and safety of the woman and her baby, continues as a matter of procedure in many facilities even during labor and delivery.
The providers of health care for pregnant women fail to use best practices and established standards in many women's state prisons. A concerted effort is urgently needed to address the unmet health care needs of this marginalized population and support legislation to limit the use of restraints with pregnant incarcerated women in all states.
尽管惩教机构已制定了与孕期保健相关的标准，但并没有要求遵守这些标准的强制性认证。此外，很难从全国的惩教机构获取这方面的信息。
为了调查州立监狱中孕妇的医疗保健情况，设计了一份包含62个多项选择题和4个开放式问题的调查问卷。研究人员联系了50所州立女子惩教机构的典狱长，介绍了这项研究并请求参与。19所机构完成了调查，回复率为38%。
这项研究的结果进一步证明了被监禁孕妇在惩教机构中得到的护理不达标准。在许多州立监狱，健康孕期的营养建议未得到满足，充足的休息受到影响，且不要求提供下铺。心理社会支持和教育充其量也很少。即使在分娩期间，许多机构仍按程序继续使用可能危及孕妇及其胎儿健康和安全的约束措施。
在许多州立女子监狱中，孕妇的医疗保健提供者未能采用最佳做法和既定标准。迫切需要共同努力，以满足这一边缘化人群未得到满足的医疗保健需求，并支持立法限制在所有州对被监禁孕妇使用约束措施。
