Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization

Wangmo, Tenzin; Meyer, Andrea H.; Handtke, Violet; Bretschneider, Wiebke; Page, Julie; Sommer, Jens; Stuckelberger, Astrid; Aebi, Marcelo F.; Elger, Bernice S.

doi:10.1177/0898264315594137

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization
Authors:	Wangmo, Tenzin Meyer, Andrea H. Handtke, Violet Bretschneider, Wiebke Page, Julie Sommer, Jens Stuckelberger, Astrid Aebi, Marcelo F. Elger, Bernice S.
DOI:	10.1177/0898264315594137
Published in:	Journal of Aging and Health
Volume(Issue):	28
Issue:	3
Page(s):	481
Pages to:	502
Issue Date:	6-Jul-2015
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Sage
ISSN:	0898-2643
Language:	English
Subject (DDC):	365: Penal institutions 610: Medicine and health
Abstract:	Objective: This study assessed health care utilization of aging prisoners and compared it with that of younger prisoners. Method: Health care utilization comprised visits to general practitioners (GPs), nurses, and mental health professionals (MHPs) for a period of 6 months. Using retrospective study design, data were extracted from medical records of 190 older prisoners (50 years and older) and 190 younger inmates (18-49 years). Age group was a dichotomous predictor variable with type of sentencing and time spent in prison as covariates. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were performed. Results: For each of the three outcome variables, two GLMMs were constructed. The first model only included age group as the predictor variable (3 × Unadjusted models). The second included the two covariates in addition to the predictor variable (3 × Adjusted model). Results from the adjusted model indicate that visits to GPs significantly differed between the two age groups (p = 0.022). Older prisoners visited GPs 1.43 times more often than younger prisoners over the 6-month period (adjusted risk ratio [RR] = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.05, 1.94]). The finding for visits to nurses was not statistically significant (p = 0.080). However, older prisoners visited nurses 1.36 times more frequently (adjusted RR = 1.36, 95% CI = [0.96, 1.91]). Finally, older prisoners visited MHPs 1.24 times more often than younger prisoners (adjusted RR = 1.24, 95% CI = [0.95, 1.61]) and this finding was also not statistically significant (p = 0.11). Discussion: Study findings underline that older prisoners utilized health care more often than younger prisoners although in most models the finding did not reach statistical significance. The prison system must develop solutions to address the needs of an aging population, particularly those with physical and mental health problems.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/4546
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Wangmo, T., Meyer, A. H., Handtke, V., Bretschneider, W., Page, J., Sommer, J., Stuckelberger, A., Aebi, M. F., & Elger, B. S. (2015). Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization. Journal of Aging and Health, 28(3), 481–502. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315594137

Wangmo, T. et al. (2015) ‘Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization’, Journal of Aging and Health, 28(3), pp. 481–502. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315594137.

T. Wangmo et al., “Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization,” Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 481–502, Jul. 2015, doi: 10.1177/0898264315594137.

WANGMO, Tenzin, Andrea H. MEYER, Violet HANDTKE, Wiebke BRETSCHNEIDER, Julie PAGE, Jens SOMMER, Astrid STUCKELBERGER, Marcelo F. AEBI und Bernice S. ELGER, 2015. Aging prisoners in Switzerland : an analysis of their healthcare utilization. Journal of Aging and Health. 6 Juli 2015. Bd. 28, Nr. 3, S. 481–502. DOI 10.1177/0898264315594137

Wangmo, Tenzin, Andrea H. Meyer, Violet Handtke, Wiebke Bretschneider, Julie Page, Jens Sommer, Astrid Stuckelberger, Marcelo F. Aebi, and Bernice S. Elger. 2015. “Aging Prisoners in Switzerland : An Analysis of Their Healthcare Utilization.” Journal of Aging and Health 28 (3): 481–502. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315594137.

Wangmo, Tenzin, et al. “Aging Prisoners in Switzerland : An Analysis of Their Healthcare Utilization.” Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 28, no. 3, July 2015, pp. 481–502, https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264315594137.