Informing inmates of medical care

Hello, I was wondering how your facilities inform inmates about seeing the MD.

This is what we do. When my LPN's pass medications they collect medical requests. The inmates are given a copy of the medical request, but there is no nursing note on the form at that time. The nurses then get the chart, research the problem and do what needs to be done. However, the inmate is not given that information. If he gets medication, he is called for the next medication pass, if he needs to see the MD, he is put in for the next available sick call - but he is not told that he is going to see the MD.

I have gone over NCCHC standards and there is nothing I can really find that says we have to tell the inmate what is going to be done - we can just do what needs to be done and the inmate finds out when it happens - in other words, no advance notice.

Does anyone do it differently??? If it makes a difference, we have about 2000 inmates in our facility

Sue
Director of Nursing
Florida