Volume 195 - Issue 7
Counting the cost: estimating the number of deaths among recently released prisoners in Australia
Author: Emma L Duncan
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (7): 383. || doi: 10.5694/mja11.10917
Published online: 3 October 2011
Published online: 3 October 2011
To the Editor: Kinner and colleagues described the high proportion of deaths among recently released prisoners in Australia.1
I had a patient with a history of intravenous drug use who, after a prolonged stay in hospital for osteomyelitis complicating a diabetic foot ulcer, including extensive inpatient rehabilitation, died due to drug overdose on the first weekend after discharge. This tragic death suggests a mortality risk for people with a history of drug misuse who are released from any long-stay institution, including hospitals. It may be appropriate for medical practitioners to discuss this risk frankly with such patients at discharge.
Competing interests
No relevant disclosures.
References
- Kinner SA, Preen DB, Kariminia A, et al. Counting the cost: estimating the number of deaths among recently released prisoners in Australia. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 64-68. 1