Holmwood Chris, Rae Doreen
South Australian Prison Health Service, Adelaide, South Australian.
Aust Fam Physician. 2003 Oct;32(10):854-6.
Imprisonment rates in Australia have been steadily increasing over the past decade. Prisoners have high rates of substance use and dependence, mental illness, self harming behaviours and infectious disease.
This article discusses health issues of prisoners and the role of general practitioners in prison health.
The standard of health care provided for prisoners should be equivalent to that available in the general community. Medical officers working within prisons need to be competent GPs with particular skills in managing the unique patterns of morbidity encountered. In addition, public health advocacy, an ability to examine the frequent ethical issues at stake, and close links with colleagues both within prisons and in the community are needed.
在过去十年中，澳大利亚的监禁率一直在稳步上升。囚犯中物质使用和依赖、精神疾病、自我伤害行为及传染病的发生率很高。
本文讨论囚犯的健康问题以及全科医生在监狱健康中的作用。
为囚犯提供的医疗保健标准应与普通社区的标准相当。在监狱工作的医务人员需要是有能力的全科医生，具备管理所遇到的独特发病模式的特殊技能。此外，还需要进行公共卫生宣传，具备审视常见伦理问题的能力，以及与监狱内部和社区的同事保持密切联系。
