Nursing Intervention

Eating Right and Grtting Excercise in Prison Introduction Preventive care is the best care and one of the best methods of preventive medicine is physical activity—i.e., exercise (Loprinzi, 2015). That is because exercise keeps the body humming like a well-used vehicle: nothing gets rusty; muscles, organs, arteries, heart and lungs all work together to give the body what it needs.

Can exercise alone address all health-related issues or prevent one from getting the influenza virus? No—but exercise is a good start because it can help keep the immune system operating at a high level. The body’s immune system is the first line of defense, and if it is weakened by lack of exercise, the flu virus could be far more devastating on a body.

As Boergeling and Ludwig (2017) note, “the immune system needs to be delicately balanced between immune response and tolerance to protect the host from pathogens while minimizing local damage to tissues” (p. 219). Of course, making sure the immune system is strong is only half the battle. There are other steps that must be taken to ensure that the spread of disease is mitigate—especially in a prison population where civilian workers and prisoners mix.

This paper will provide a plan for a maximum-security prison when a shortage of flu vaccine is identified. The plan will include a nursing intervention for each level of prevention of influenza. It will also determine who should receive the flu vaccine among civilian workers and prisoners as well as identify environmental factors that will place the prison population at high-risk.

Intervention Plan When it comes to devising interventions at the three levels of physician, staff and resident, how to protect the body is one of the most important factors to consider. Besney et al. (2017) state that “correctional facilities present a unique opportunity to provide preventive care to a large number of vulnerable individuals who often experience barriers to accessing care in the community” (p. 193).

In order to implement preventive care, several steps are needed: Physician Level At the physician level, the intervention required is for all doctors to be given the opportunity of obtaining the flu vaccine if available. Physicians will be required most if an outbreak in the prison occurs, so their health must be protected first and foremost. They will also be going in between the prison population and the outside world, so they are at a higher risk of contracting the flu and spreading it to the residents within.

The first line of safety, therefore, is to secure the borders so to speak and make sure that physicians are protected and able to assist the residents and that they are not, on the other hand, the ones helping to spread the virus. Physicians can follow the same protocol recommendations as staff—wearing face masks, gloves and engaging in frequent hand washing. They should also engage in self-monitoring and report any flu-like symptoms.

Should these be reported, removing the physician temporarily and allowing a week off should be the proper protocol to follow in such cases. Staff Level At the staff level, the prevention intervention should focus on limiting transmission of the virus. Self-monitoring should be implemented and work restrictions stipulated if symptoms are reported among staff members. Whatever vaccines are available may be offered to staff. Staff can use face masks and gloves. Frequent hand washing is recommended.

As staff will also be going from the community to the prison population and back, they are vulnerable to exposure 2x that of what residents are—so they must also be given the opportunity to receive the vaccine ahead of residents. Rationale for why physicians and staff should receive the vaccine first.

The rationale for physicians and staff members receiving the flu vaccine first is that they are the ones tasked with maintaining the prison and the health of the population: if they are put at risk or, worse, sickened by the flu, the prison conditions can quickly deteriorate into chaos. They are also the ones with the most exposure to different populations and environments—therefore, they are more at risk of coming into contact with the flu virus, either at work or among civilians in the community.

For that reason, it is important that they be given access to the vaccine first, before the residents, as they will be needed to help implement prevention among residents and treat them if they do end up becoming sick. Resident Level At the resident level, prisoners may be offered vaccines if any are left available following first offerings to physicians and staff. Residents should be decentralized in case an infection does occur; it will be harder for the flu to spread if residents are segregated.

Exercise should be promoted and diet should be enhanced with vitamins and minerals that can promote a healthy and active immune system during this time period. Residents who exhibit flu-like symptoms should be isolated for one week. Visitations should be restricted during the outbreak. Visitors who come to the prison must be able to show that they have been screened or received their flu vaccinations before being admitted into the grounds. This will help to ensure that prisoners are not infected by visitors.

Environmental Factors Three factors that contribute to making people in the penitentiary environment high risk for an influenza outbreak include: 1) close living quarters, 2) lack of proper exercise and diet to bolster the immune system, and 3) lack of cleanliness among residents. Close living quarters mean that germs and viruses can spread more easily from host to host. A sneeze, a cough, a touch—any.