Can routine data from prisoners’ files be used to estimate prevalence rates of illicit drug use among prisoners?

Beatrice Annaheim (), Tenzin Wangmo, Wiebke Bretschneider, Marc Vogel and Bernice S. Elger
Additional contact information
Beatrice Annaheim: University of Basel
Tenzin Wangmo: University of Basel
Wiebke Bretschneider: University of Basel
Marc Vogel: University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital
Bernice S. Elger: University of Basel

International Journal of Public Health, 2018, vol. 63, issue 1, No 5, 33-40

Abstract: Abstract Objectives The paper examines whether routine data from prisoners’ files is a useful basis to estimate prevalence rates of illicit drug use among prisoners. Methods Medico-legal files of 190 younger (20–49 years) and 190 older (50–75 years) male prisoners from 13 prisons in Switzerland were analysed. Indications of illicit drug use were extracted based on recorded legal measures, notes from health care professionals, diagnoses related to the use of illicit substances, prescribed medications, other treatment indicators, and results from mandatory drug tests in prison. Results Estimated lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use based on those indicators is 50.0% for younger and 24.2% for older prisoners. Current cannabis use is an estimated 10.0% and current cocaine, opioids, or other drug use 4.7% for younger prisoners. Among older prisoners, prevalence of current cannabis use is an estimated 3.2% and of other drug use 0.5%. Conclusions The paper concludes that analysing routine data is a reasonable alternative to surveys if prisoners’ files are kept more complete and concise and if data is collected for no other purpose than to benefit prisoners’ health.

Keywords: Prison; Health; Drug use; Routine data; Prisoners’ files; Switzerland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00038-017-1030-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ijphth:v:63:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s00038-017-1030-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/00038

DOI: 10.1007/s00038-017-1030-1

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Thomas Kohlmann, Nino Künzli and Andrea Madarasova Geckova

More articles in International Journal of Public Health from Springer, Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().