Emergency department presentations in the first weeks following release from prison among men with a history of injecting drug use in Victoria, Australia: A prospective cohort study

Original research

Cossar, Reece David et al

Release Date

2022

Geography

Australia

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

Rates of emergency department (ED) use are higher among people released from prison than in the general population. However, little is known about ED presentations specifically among people with a history of injecting drug use (IDU) leaving prison. We measured the incidence of ED presentation in the three months following release from prison, among a cohort of men with histories of IDU, and determined pre-release characteristics associated with presenting to an ED during this period.

Findings/Key points

Twenty-one percent (n = 81/393) of the cohort presented to an ED at least once within the three months after release from prison. The incidence of ED presentation was highest in the first six days after release. Cox proportional hazards modelling showed that a history of in-patient psychiatric admission and housing instability were associated with increased hazard of an ED presentation, and identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander was associated with decreased hazard.