Medical Mismanagement in Southern US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Facilities: A Thematic Analysis of Secondary Medical Records

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Amy Zeidan, Emory University; Harrison Goodall, Emory University; Andrew Sieben, Emory University; Parveen Parmar, University of Southern California; Elizabeth Burner, University of Southern California
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-01-30
• Publisher: SPRINGER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01451-y
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY HEALTH
• Start Page: 1
• End Page: 13
• Keywords: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; RATES; ICE detention; CARE; Medical neglect in ICE detentionMedical care in ICE detention; Science & Technology; Medical mismanagement in ICE detention; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Detention facilities in the southern US hold a large percentage of individuals detained in the US and have amassed numerous reports of medical mismanagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate expert declarations of individuals residing in these facilities to assess the appropriateness of medical care provided. We analyzed 38 medical expert declarations from individuals in detention from 2020 to 2021. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore the management of medical conditions. Major themes include inadequate workup, management and treatment of medical conditions, psychiatric conditions, and medical symptoms. Subthemes identified include incorrect workup, failure to refer to a specialist, incorrect medications and/or treatments, missed or incorrect diagnoses, and exacerbation of chronic conditions. This study supports growing evidence of medical mismanagement and neglect of individuals while in immigration detention. Enhanced oversight and accountability around medical care in these facilities is critical to ensure the quality of medical care delivered meets the standard of care.