High rates of general practice attendance by former prisoners: A prospective cohort study

M Carroll; MJ Spittal; AR Kemp-Casey; NG Lennox; DB Preen; G Sutherland; SA Kinner

Journal article

High rates of general practice attendance by former prisoners: A prospective cohort study

M Carroll, MJ Spittal, AR Kemp-Casey, NG Lennox, DB Preen, G Sutherland, SA Kinner

Medical Journal of Australia | AUSTRALASIAN MED PUBL CO LTD | Published : 2017

DOI: 10.5694/mja16.00841

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the rates at which people recently released from prison attend general practitioners, and to describe service users and their encounters. Design, participants and setting: Prospective cohort study of 1190 prisoners in Queensland, interviewed up to 6 weeks before expected release from custody (August 2008 e July 2010); their responses were linked prospectively with Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data for the 2 years after their release. General practice attendance was compared with that of members of the general Queensland population of the same sex and in the same age groups. Main outcome measures: Rates of general practice attendance by former prisoners..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Matthew Spittal Author

Georgina Sutherland Author

Stuart Kinner Author

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Grants

Awarded by Department of Human Services, Government of South Australia

Funding Acknowledgements

We thank Queensland Corrective Services for assistance with data collection, and Passports study participants for sharing their stories. We acknowledge the Australian Government Department of Human Services as the source of Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) records. The Passports study was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Strategic Award (409966). The HIP-Aus study is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Project grant (1002463). Stuart Kinner is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (APP1078168). The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors, and in no way reflect the views or policies of Queensland Corrective Services.