Medication use and knowledge in a sample of Indigenous and non-Indigenous prisoners

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To (a) characterise medication use and knowledge, according to Indigenous status, and (b) identify independent correlates of medication knowledge in a sample of adult prisoners. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of 1,231 adult prisoners in Queensland, interviewed within six weeks of release. Measures included self-reported demographic and health-related characteristics, self-reported use of medications, the Hayes Ability Screening Index (HASI) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Objective medication data were abstracted from prison medical records. A medication knowledge score was calculated to reflect the agreement between self-reported and objective medication use. RESULTS: ..