Open AccessEvaluation of a prison‐based hepatitis B immunisation pilot project
Author(s) -
Devine Alexandra,
Karvelas Maria,
Sundararajan Vijaya
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00029.x
Subject(s) - prison , medicine , hepatitis b , family medicine , focus group , vaccination , hepatitis , virology , psychology , criminology , marketing , business
This paper describes the evaluation findings of a hepatitis B immunisation pilot project, which aimed to increase the uptake and compliance of hepatitis B vaccinations among female prisoners in Victoria. The evaluation used a mixed methods approach including in‐depth interviews, focus group discussions and an analysis of quantitative data. Fifty‐five per cent of potential participants (391/712) were offered hepatitis B immunisation. Of those offered immunisation, 204 were eligible for immunisation and 169 (83%) received the first dose. Ninety‐three per cent of eligible women received two doses and 84% completed the three‐dose series. Lessons learnt from the pilot led to the revision of key prison hepatitis B immunisation policies and practices to ensure uniformity across Victorian prisons.