Caring in Correctional Nursing: A Systematic Search and Narrative Synthesis.

Registered nurses are the primary healthcare providers for offenders in correctional facilities. The way in which correctional nurses care for offenders can be difficult in this context. Following a systematic review and narrative synthesis of literature regarding how correctional nurses show caring for offenders three themes emerged: the struggle of custody and caring (conflicting ethical and philosophical ideologies, correctional priorities that override nursing priorities, safety and security), the need to be nonjudgmental (judgmental attitudes can impact care; focus on health not the crime), and the importance of boundaries. Implications for practice focus on recommendations to promote caring in correctional nursing; the outcome of which will potentially enhance quality of care for offenders and improve working environments for nurses.