Incarcerated individuals are the only population in the United States with a constitutional guarantee to health care, yet their surgical needs remain poorly characterized. We aimed to assess the burden of surgical disease and patterns of surgical consultation among incarcerated patients. Over 1 year, 332 incarcerated individuals presented with surgical conditions to a single Level 1 Trauma Center Emergency Department. Of these, 135 patients (40%) were evaluated by a surgeon, and 57 (43% of those evaluated) were admitted during their initial visit. Within 90 days, 104 patients (31%) returned to the emergency department, and 31 (30% of return visits) required admission. Outpatient follow-up was recommended for 165 patients (53%), yet only two-thirds ( n = 109) received outpatient care.
Snyder et al. (Fri,) studied this question.