Infectious diseases in post-trial detention and comparisons with pre-trial detention: A study in Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: Prevalence rates of infectious diseases in post-trial prisons have been scarcely investigated. Due to the specific characteristics of these prison populations, these prevalence rates may differ from pre-trial prisons and more information is needed for developing adequate prevention and treatment interventions. This study compared prevalence rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), susceptibility to varicella zoster virus (VZV) and measles in pre- and post-trial detention.

Opioid substitution treatment in pretrial prison detention: a case study from Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: Opioid substitution treatment (OST) is not uniformly provided in all prisons as recommended by international guidelines. The Swiss prison of Champ-Dollon in Geneva is an exception, where OST has been available for the last 20 years. The aims of this study were to describe the OST programme in this pretrial prison setting, and the patients involved.

Health care in small prisons: incorporating high-quality standards.

Purpose: In the past, health management in Geneva's six post-trial prisons had been variable and inconsistent. In 2008, the unit of penitentiary medicine of the Geneva University Hospitals was mandated to re-organize and provide health care at all six prison facilities. The specific aim of this paper is to outline the example as a practical solution to some of the common challenges in unifying the structure and process of health services across multiple small facilities, while meeting European prison health and local quality standards.

Hunger strike among detainees: guidance for good medical practice.

Hunger strike is a regularly reported problem in prison. Although clinical situations are rarely severe, hospitalisation is often considered. In consequence, it is not only physicians working in prisons, but also hospital medical teams who face challenges related to hunger strike, involving somatic, psychological, legal and human rights aspects.

Implementation and impact of anti-smoking interventions in three prisons in the absence of appropriate legislation.

Objective: To assess the acceptability and impact of anti-smoking policies in three prisons in Switzerland.

Methods: A before-after intervention study in A) an open prison for sentenced prisoners, B) a closed prison for sentenced prisoners, and C) a prison for pretrial detainees. Prisoners and staff were surveyed before (2009, n=417) and after (2010-2011, n=228) the interventions.

[Oral health as the mirror of health: the primary care medicine's poor relative?].

Oral health (OH) is indivisible from general health. Several studies have established the link between morbi-mortality, especially cardiovascular, and bad OH, particularly in the case of edentation. Regrettably, part of the population choses dental care renunciation for financial reasons.

Improvement of measles immunity among migrant populations: lessons learned from a prevalence study in a Swiss prison.

Background: Measles persists worldwide despite the implementation of general vaccination campaigns. The environmental and demographic characteristics in many prisons increase the risk of measles epidemics. A large proportion of inmates come from countries where immunisation coverage is low.

[Hunger strike and forced feeding: a historical look at medical practices].

Hunger strike is not a disease but a common situation in prisons. This article takes a historical look at medical practices in connection with the forced feeding of hunger strikers. We now know the fate of the strikers who were subjected to forced feeding.

[Pain and its treatment in prison].

Frequency of pain in detention contrasts with the scarcity of the literature about this precise topic. Prescription practice makes a point of best observing the fundamental principles of penitentiary medicine, including the equivalence of care. Addictive pathology is highly prevalent.