Prisoner health NBEDS

Identifying and definitional attributes

• Health, Standard 28/04/2016

The Prisoner health National Best Endeavours Data Set (NBEDS) defines data collected from all public and private prisons throughout Australia on prison entrants, prisoners who visit a prison clinic, prisoners who are taking prescription medication while in custody, prison clinic services and staffing levels, and prison dischargees. The data are used to report against the National Prisoner Health Indicators, assist in monitoring the health of prisoners and inform prisoner health service planning and delivery.

In the National Prisoner Health Data Collection public and private prisons include those administered by Corrective Services departments, including correctional facilities and remand centres. Excluded from the collection are periodic detention centres, court and police cells, juvenile detention centres, immigration detention centres, secure psychiatric facilities, military prisons, and home detention programs.

The Prisoner health NBEDS contains five component data set specifications:

Prison entrants NBEDS: defines data on all prisoners entering prison in the National Prisoner Health Data Collection period. This includes demographics, mental health, chronic diseases, alcohol and other drug use, use of health services and pregnancy.

Prison clinic contact NBEDS: defines data from all visits by prisoners to the prison clinic during the National Prisoner Health Data Collection period regarding the number of clinic contacts each prisoner made and the reason for clinic attendance.

Prisoners in custody prescription medications NBEDS: defines data on the category of prescription medications administered to prisoners on one day during the National Prisoner Health Data Collection period.

Prison establishments NBEDS: defines data provided by prison clinic management regarding the services provided by prison clinics.

Prison dischargee NBEDS: defines data on all prisoners who are going to be discharged from the prison system in the following 4 weeks from the date of data collection, during the National Prisoner Health Data Collection period. This includes demographics, mental health, chronic diseases, alcohol and other drug use, use of prison clinics and services accessed in prison.

Collection and usage attributes

Prisoner, Prison entrant and Prison dischargee

The National Prisoner Health Data Collection consists of the following five questionnaires which are used to obtain data on prison entrants, prisoners who visit the prison clinic, use of repeat medications, prison establishments and prison dischargees:

• Prison Entrants form
• Prisoners in Custody—Clinic form
• Prisoners in Custody—Repeat Medications form
• Prison Establishment form
• Discharge form.

Glossary terms that are relevant to this data set specification include the following:

Emergency department

Geographic indicator

Illicit drug

Juvenile detention centre

Mental health disorder

Parent

Prison

Transgender

Source and reference attributes

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2009. From corrections to community: a set of indicators of the health of Australia's prisoners. Bulletin no. 75. Cat. no. AUS 120. Canberra: AIHW.

AIHW 2015. The health of Australia’s prisoners 2015. Cat. no. PHE 207. Canberra: AIHW.

Relational attributes