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Infectious Disease Education in a Carceral Setting: Insights from a Jail-Based Medical Student-Led Health Literacy
Nathaniel Grey Loyd1, McKenna Gessner1, Eileen Williams1
1Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Summary
Medical students educated incarcerated individuals on infectious diseases, significantly boosting their confidence in recognizing symptoms and seeking treatment. This initiative aims to reduce disease burden and improve health literacy in correctional settings.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Medical Education
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Incarceration is linked to poor health outcomes, including increased infectious disease rates.
- Low health literacy exacerbates health disparities within the incarcerated population.
- Health education presents a viable strategy to mitigate these disparities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To implement and evaluate a novel medical student-led health education program in a jail setting.
- To enhance health literacy among incarcerated individuals regarding infectious diseases.
- To explore the potential of such programs in reducing the infectious disease burden in correctional facilities.
Main Methods:
- Development of a four-part infectious disease curriculum tailored for a carceral environment.
- Voluntary offering of the course to participants in a jail reentry program.
- Pre- and post-course surveys to assess program effectiveness.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant increase in participants' self-reported confidence in identifying infectious disease symptoms.
- Improved confidence in seeking appropriate treatment for common infections (sexually transmitted, respiratory, blood-borne).
- Demonstration of a feasible medical student-led educational model in a correctional setting.
Conclusions:
- The medical student-led initiative successfully improved health literacy and confidence in managing infectious diseases among incarcerated individuals.
- This program serves as a pioneering model for medical schools to engage trainees in addressing health disparities.
- Further refinement and wider adoption could significantly impact public health within correctional systems and beyond.
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