Meeting end-of-life care needs for patients in custody

Kendall, Megan; Streitberg, Luke; Levy, Michael H

doi:10.5694/mja14.01273

Topics

To the Editor: The medicolegal complexities of withholding and withdrawing medical treatment in end-of-life (EOL) settings have been discussed in the Journal by White and colleagues.1 EOL care is becoming increasingly important in the incarcerated population, posing unique challenges for health services.

Justice Health Services, ACT Health, Canberra, ACT.

Correspondence: megan.kendall@act.gov.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

1. White B, Willmott L, Cartwright C, et al. Doctors' knowledge of the law on withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 229-232. <MJA full text>
2. Kariminia A, Law MG, Butler TG, et al. Factors associated with mortality in a cohort of Australian prisoners. Eur J Epidemiol 2007; 22: 417-428.
3. Stone K, Papadopoulos I, Kelly D. Establishing hospice care for prison populations: an integrative review assessing the UK and USA perspective. Palliat Med 2012; 26: 969-978.

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