Little Medical Education Focuses on Justice-Involved Populations
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2024 -- Little medical education exposes students to caring for justice-involved populations, according to a review published online Dec. 10 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Claire Stover, from the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to understand the scope and context of medical education in correctional health care.
Based on 49 studies (highlighting 95 unique curricula), the researchers reported that curricula were evenly split between the undergraduate (44) and graduate (50) levels, with the two most represented specialties being psychiatry (43) and general medicine (30). Clinical rotation (48), didactics (14), or a combination (28) were the educational modalities used. Evidence showed curricula increased knowledge in correctional and specialty-specific medicine and improved attitudes toward justice-involved patients. Results showed no significant effect on plans to work with the justice-involved population. Common themes included treating justice-involved patients with respect (23), structure and function of the legal system (20), and career recruitment (16) across curricula.
"There is limited education on the care of the justice-involved population, and most learners are unlikely to experience education on this population during their training despite the extensive and unique health and psycho-social needs of this population," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Urgent Care Visits Often Linked to Inappropriate Prescribing
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- Urgent care visits are often associated with inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, glucocorticoids, and opioids, according to a research letter...
Race Definitions Have Limited Impact on Cancer Rates in Whites, Blacks, Asians
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 -- Race definitions have limited impact on cancer rates for Whites, Blacks, and Asians, but do impact rates in multiracial individuals, according to a study...
Millions of Backyard Pools Recalled After Drowning Deaths of Nine Children
MONDAY, July 21, 2025 — Close to 5 million above-ground swimming pools have been recalled following the drowning deaths of nine children over two decades. The 48-inch and...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.