NCJ Number
224764
Journal
Journal of Correctional Health Care Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 263-268
Date Published
October 2008
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article presents a summary of discussions and recommendations on infectious diseases following a 2007 health and academic policy conference on correctional healthcare.
Abstract
Results of this workshop suggest that research is needed on testing procedures HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), sexual behavior and risks during incarceration, the use of existing clinical data (secondary analyses), and evaluation of corrections-specific education materials on HIV and HCV. Also, a forum for correctional health researchers to share study findings and to develop multisite research relationships is urgently needed. In March 2007, 18 professionals representing correctional medicine, nursing, academia, epidemiology, public health, the pharmaceutical industry, and the media participated in a workshop to discuss infectious diseases that are of particular importance in the incarcerated population. It was agreed that HIV and HCV infections were among the most important infections to target for discussion due to the prevalence of both being so high among the incarcerated population. Discussions surrounding correctional research, HIV, and HCV testing, transmission, and treatment in prisons; potential sources of data that already exist for research and outcomes analyses; development and validation of inmate-specific educational material; and training programs for correctional healthcare professionals were extensive. A summary of these discussions and recommendations for the next steps is presented in this article. References