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Kagan D, Seear K, Lenton E, Farrugia A, Valentine K, Mulcahy S. 'I'm not hep C free': afterlives of hepatitis C in the era of cure. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2023; 49:678-687. [PMID: 37451865 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2023-012653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Since the advent of more effective, new-generation treatment for hepatitis C, immense resources have been devoted to delivering cure to as many people with the virus as possible. The scale-up of treatment aims to prevent liver disease, liver cancer and onward transmission of hepatitis C, but social research shows that people also approach treatment with its social promises in mind, including the hope that it might reduce or eradicate stigma from their lives. Such hopes reflect broader ideas about medical cure, which is seen as an end point to illness and its effects, and capable of restoring the self to a (previous) state of health and well-being. But what does cure mean among people for whom treatment does not produce an end to the social effects of a heavily stigmatised disease? While new treatments promise to eliminate hepatitis C, accounts of post-cure life suggest that hepatitis C can linger in various ways. This article draws on interviews with people who have undergone treatment with direct-acting antivirals (n=30) in Australia to explore the meanings they attach to cure and their experiences of post-cure life. We argue that dominant biomedical understandings of cure as an 'ending' and a 'restoration' can foreclose insight into the social and other effects of illness that linger after medical cure, and how individuals grapple with those afterlives. Drawing on recent conceptual re-framings of cure from medical anthropology and disability studies, we suggest that thinking at the limits of 'curative reason' helps to better address the afterlives of chronic illness. In the case of hepatitis C, reconceptualising cure could inform improved and less stigmatising ways of addressing people's post-cure needs. And in the era of hepatitis C elimination, such reconceptualisation is increasingly important as the cohort of people undergoing treatment and cure expands worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dion Kagan
- Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kate Seear
- Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emily Lenton
- Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adrian Farrugia
- Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kylie Valentine
- Centre for Social Policy Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sean Mulcahy
- Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
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Bryce K, Smith C, Rodger A, Macdonald D. Falling treatment uptake in the hepatitis C care cascade is a growing threat to achieving elimination. J Viral Hepat 2023; 30:46-55. [PMID: 36197840 PMCID: PMC10091771 DOI: 10.1111/jvh.13757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Most high-income countries are not on track to achieve the World Health Organization hepatitis C elimination targets. As elimination programmes assess growing proportions of patients in community-based pathways, rates of treatment uptake may fall. We aimed to identify factors associated with DAA treatment uptake and measure changes in their prevalence over time. We performed a time-to-treatment analysis on 2728 patients approved for hepatitis C Direct-Acting Antiviral treatment in the North Central London region between January 2016 and October 2019. We investigated the association between treatment uptake and factors including assessment/treatment setting (hospital, drug service or prison), patient age, gender, injection drug use, harmful alcohol use, cirrhosis status and previous treatment. The likelihood of treatment uptake was reduced by three independent risk factors. These included assessment setting: prison-based or drug-service pathways (aHR 0.29 or 0.81 vs. hospital outpatient pathway, 95% CI 0.21-0.40 and 0.70-0.94 respectively, p < .001); being UK-born (aHR 0.89 vs. non-UK born, 0.82-0.98, p = .01); and history of harmful alcohol use (aHR 0.84 vs. no history, 0.72-0.99, p = .04). The average number of these risk factors for not starting treatment per patient increased over time (R2 = 0.66 p < .001). Independent of these, there was an additional 5% reduction in rate of treatment initiation in each successive year of the programme (aHR 0.95, 0.91-0.99, p = .02). In conclusion, disengagement from care before treatment uptake was found to be a growing threat to elimination. Despite provision of community-based test-to-cure pathways, there are persistent barriers to treatment uptake and these are increasing over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Bryce
- Institute for Global HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Colette Smith
- Institute for Global HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Alison Rodger
- Institute for Global HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Douglas Macdonald
- Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
- Institute for Liver and Digestive HealthUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Nascimento YDA, Silva LD, Ramalho de Oliveira D. The Lived Experience of Patients Utilizing Second-Generation Direct-Acting Antiviral for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Phenomenological Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12540. [PMID: 36231842 PMCID: PMC9566709 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis C is a global public health problem, and the aim of this study was to understand the experiences of patients with hepatitis C using second-generation antivirals. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten outpatients, cognitively capable of reporting their experience, followed up at a university clinic. Field diaries kept during the interviews were also used. The researchers carried out a thematic analysis to identify the ways in which individuals experienced their medication; then, these ways were reorganized to encompass the essential structures of the experience. The patients experienced the use of DAAs as providing resolution and it was permeated by: the experience of time-stagnant time, waiting for medication and the cure; the experience of spaces, understood as necessary and imposed spaces; the experience of relationships with others, personified by the support provided by healthcare professionals; the experience of sexuality, when patients developed several coping strategies to deal with the challenges imposed by the treatment. To conclude, increasing the knowledge about the patients' experiences can contribute to improve the healthcare model for hepatitis C, since several patients have severe hepatic impairment, and the eradication of the virus is only one of the stages of patients' treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yone de Almeida Nascimento
- College of Pharmacy, Center for Pharmaceutical Care Studies, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Luciana Diniz Silva
- College of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Djenane Ramalho de Oliveira
- College of Pharmacy, Center for Pharmaceutical Care Studies, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
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Donaldson SR, Radley A, Dillon JF. Future destinations and social inclusion scoping review: how people cured of hepatitis C (HCV) using direct- acting antiviral drugs progress in a new HCV-free world. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2022; 17:45. [PMID: 35676732 PMCID: PMC9178822 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-022-00475-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a paradigm shift in the treatment of Hepatitis C (HCV) from the interferon-era to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs. Cure of HCV for the key risk group, those with a history of injecting drug use, may provide a range of benefits to an individual's quality of life that can be additional to that of a clinical cure. The interferon-era provided evidence that cure of HCV can be a turning point for those who use drugs, supporting a recovery journey. There remains a question if DAAs can provide the same opportunity. METHODS We employed a scoping review methodology to consider the additional non-clinical benefits that HCV cure may provide. We used the theoretical construct of recovery capital to consider how these benefits may support a recovery journey in the DAA-era. RESULTS Our search provided 2095 articles, from which 35 were included in the analysis. We developed a thematic synthesis of the non-clinical outcomes identified based on the four over-arching themes of recovery capital: physical, cultural, social and human capital. Our review suggests that identity change is a constituent part of each of the recovery capital domains in relation to HCV treatment. CONCLUSION We identified Social Identity Model Of Recovery (SIMOR) as a mechanism through which DAAs may provide non-clinical outcomes to increase recovery capital domains. Further research is required to develop an understanding of the impact a cure of HCV with DAAs may have on identity, overall health and wellbeing and social inclusion to support recovery journeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Donaldson
- School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK.
- NHS Tayside, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK.
| | - Andrew Radley
- School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
- NHS Tayside, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
| | - John F Dillon
- School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
- NHS Tayside, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
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Seear K, Lenton E. Becoming posthuman: hepatitis C, the race to elimination and the politics of remaking the subject. HEALTH SOCIOLOGY REVIEW : THE JOURNAL OF THE HEALTH SECTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2021; 30:229-243. [PMID: 34448668 DOI: 10.1080/14461242.2021.1971102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Hepatitis C has long been a public health problem in Australia. 'Revolutionary' new drugs with the potential to cure hepatitis C have now emerged. The Australian government has invested heavily in them, and has an ambitious goal to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. Numerous shifts in policy and practice are required if the elimination agenda is to be realised. This paper explores the significance of these shifts. We ask: what is the race to elimination doing with the subject? We argue that the race to elimination can be understood, simultaneously, as a product of posthuman forces, capable of being analysed using the theoretical tools made available via the posthuman turn; producing an intervention in what it means to be human; and generating a dilemma for people who use (or used) drugs, people with hepatitis C, and posthuman scholarship. In drawing out these issues, we aim to: trace the significant developments underway in hepatitis C medicine and raise awareness of them; encourage reflection on the consequences of these developments; and invite reflections on what might be lost when the human is remade by hepatitis C medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate Seear
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Emily Lenton
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
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Beyond a ‘post-cure’ world: Sketches for a new futurology of hepatitis C. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2021; 94:103042. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Vega TA, Levander XA, Seaman A, Korthuis PT, Englander H. "Sobriety equals getting rid of hepatitis C": A qualitative study exploring the interplay of substance use disorder and hepatitis C among hospitalized adults. J Subst Abuse Treat 2021; 127:108337. [PMID: 34134860 PMCID: PMC8217723 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People who use drugs (PWUD) commonly experience complex illness, psychosocial stressors, housing insecurity, and stigma, which may play key roles in their struggles with addiction. In a study of hospitalized PWUD with hepatitis C virus infection (HCV), participants described treating HCV as "part of recovery." These findings led us to explore how hospitalization and acute illness altered patients' perceptions of substance use disorder (SUD) and HCV. METHODS Researchers audio recorded in-depth semi-structured individual interviews of 27 hospitalized adults with SUD and HCV seen by an addiction consult service (ACS) at an urban academic medical center between June and November 2019. Research staff transcribed interviews and dual coded them deductively and inductively at the semantic level. Researchers used a matrix visualization to discern relationships among codes and conducted a thematic analysis. RESULTS Many participants believed addictions treatment should precede an HCV cure for varying reasons. Some wanted to avoid reinfection; others believed "getting clean" afforded the mental clarity to address health issues, including HCV. Patients newly engaged in SUD treatment described HCV treatment as a "step towards recovery" and could serve as motivation to continue SUD treatment. Participants believed HCV cure could facilitate sobriety by "mentally putting drugs in the past" and was a future-oriented action toward "better health." Many participants described the compounded stigma of having HCV infection and SUD by multiple groups, including friends/family who do not use drugs, other drug users, and health care workers. CONCLUSION Hospitalized adults with SUD and HCV believed addictions engagement should precede HCV treatment and HCV cure could play an important role in their "recovery" journey. Discussing HCV treatment during hospitalization may be an opportunity to support engagement in SUD treatment and targets an untreated patient population critical for achieving HCV elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A Vega
- School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239, United States.
| | - Ximena A Levander
- Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Addiction Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239, United States.
| | - Andrew Seaman
- Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Addiction Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239, United States; Central City Concern, 232 NW6th Ave., Portland, OR 97209, United States.
| | - P Todd Korthuis
- Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Addiction Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239, United States.
| | - Honora Englander
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR 97239, United States.
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Exploring and understanding HCV patient journeys- HEPCARE Europe project. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21:239. [PMID: 33673828 PMCID: PMC7934512 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-05928-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a leading cause for chronic liver diseases worldwide. The European Union and World Health Organization aspire to eliminate HCV by 2030. However, among at-risk populations, including, homeless people, prisoners and People Who Inject Drugs, access to diagnosis and treatment is challenging. Hepcare Europe is an integrated model of care developed to address this by assessing potential reasons for these restrictions and determining measures needed to improve HCV diagnosis, treatment and access to care within different communities. Objectives HepCare Europe is an EU-supported project involving collaboration between five institutions in: Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain and Romania. We aim to explore the journey of care experienced by those living with HCV with a focus on previous care disruptions (loss to follow up) and the new HepCare Europe Programme. Methods Research teams conducted semi-structured interviews with patients who accessed services through HepCare Europe thus, patients were recruited by purposeful sampling. Patients interviewed had received, or were in the final weeks of receiving, treatment. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English, and sent to the Dublin team for inductive thematic analysis. Researchers from the HepCare Europe research team coded the data separately, then together. Results Common themes are introduced to present similarities, following individual site themes to highlight the importance of tailored interventions for each country. Key themes are: 1) Hepatitis C patients lost to follow up 2) HepCare improved access to treatment and 3) the need for improved HCV education. Individual themes also emerged for each site. These are: Ireland: New opportunities associated with achieving Sustained Virologic Responses (SVR). Romania: HCV is comparatively less crucial in light of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV) coinfections. UK: Patients desire support to overcome social barriers and Spain: Improved awareness of HCV, treatment and alcohol use. Conclusion This study identified how the tailored HepCare interventions enabled improved HCV testing and linkage to care outcomes for these patients. Tailored interventions that targeted the needs of patients, increased the acceptability and success of treatment by patients. HepCare demonstrated the need for flexibility in treatment delivery, and provided additional supports to keep patients engaged and educated on new treatment therapies.
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Goutzamanis S, Doyle JS, Horyniak D, Higgs P, Hellard M. Peer to peer communication about hepatitis C treatment amongst people who inject drugs: A longitudinal qualitative study. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 87:102983. [PMID: 33126166 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about how information on direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C circulates through peer networks of people who inject drugs. In this study we aimed to explore what and how treatment-related information is shared between people undergoing treatment and their peers. METHODS Participants were recruited from two general practice clinics and the community-based hepatitis C Treatment and Prevention Study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant (N = 20) before, during and following treatment. Interviews explored hepatitis C treatment experiences, key sources of DAA information and the impact of receiving and sharing knowledge. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted. Time sequential matrices were generated to understand thematic change over time. RESULTS Fifty-four interviews were conducted with 20 participants across seven field-sites in Melbourne, Australia. Key themes were: 'peers as a source treatment information', 'do it together' and 'becoming a treatment advocate'. Peers were a crucial trusted source of information. Positive treatment anecdotes were important for building confidence in and motivation to initiate treatment. Many participants adopted a 'treatment advocate' role in their close peer networks, which was described as empowering. Some participants described benefits of undertaking treatment alongside members of their close network. CONCLUSION Findings illustrate the importance of close peers in shaping treatment perceptions and engagement. This will be important in designing health promotion messaging and interventions to increase treatment uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stelliana Goutzamanis
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, SA, 3004; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004.
| | - Joseph S Doyle
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, SA, 3004; Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred and Monash University, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, Victoria, SA, 3004
| | - Danielle Horyniak
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, SA, 3004; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004; Behaviour and Health Risks Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, Victoria, SA, 3004
| | - Peter Higgs
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, SA, 3004; Department of Public Health, La Trobe University, Plenty Rd & Kingsbury Dr, Bundoora VIC 3086
| | - Margaret Hellard
- Disease Elimination Program, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, VIC, SA, 3004; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004; Department of Infectious Diseases, The Alfred and Monash University, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, Victoria, SA, 3004
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Sherbuk JE, Tabackman A, McManus KA, Kemp Knick T, Schexnayder J, Flickinger TE, Dillingham R. A qualitative study of perceived barriers to hepatitis C care among people who did not attend appointments in the non-urban US South. Harm Reduct J 2020; 17:64. [PMID: 32948189 PMCID: PMC7501689 DOI: 10.1186/s12954-020-00409-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most people diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV) have not linked to care, despite the availability of safe and effective treatment. We aimed to understand why people diagnosed with HCV have not pursued care in the non-urban Southern United States. METHODS We conducted a survey and semi-structured interview with participants referred to an HCV clinic who did not attend an appointment between 2014 and 2018. Our clinic is located in a non-urban region of Virginia at a university hospital. Qualitative data collection was guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM). Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify key factors influencing patient perceptions regarding HCV and pursuit of care. RESULTS Over half of previously referred patients (N = 200) could not be reached by phone. Eleven participants enrolled, including 7 men and 4 women. Based on survey responses, unreliable transportation, unstable housing, substance use, and lack of insurance were common. Participants demonstrated good knowledge of HCV disease, complications, and treatment. On qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, final themes emerged from within and between HBM constructs. Emerging themes influencing patient perceptions included (1) structural barriers, (2) stigma, (3) prior experiences of HCV disease and treatment, (4) discordance between the recognized severity of HCV and expected impacts on one's own health, and (5) patient-provider relationship. Substance use was not identified to be a barrier to care. CONCLUSIONS Participants perceived individual and structural barriers to linking to care. A strong HCV knowledge base was not sufficient to motivate pursuit of care. Efforts to improve linkage to care must address barriers at multiple levels, and system-level changes are needed. As the majority of previously referred patients could not be contacted by phone, current approaches to patient engagement are not effective for reaching these populations. Expansion of HCV care to primary care settings with an established patient-provider relationship or co-located treatment within substance use treatment programs may serve to increase access to HCV treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline E Sherbuk
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Alexa Tabackman
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Kathleen A McManus
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Terry Kemp Knick
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Julie Schexnayder
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Tabor E Flickinger
- Division of General, Geriatric, Palliative, and Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Rebecca Dillingham
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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Nápoles TM, Batchelder AW, Lin A, Moran L, Johnson MO, Shumway M, Luetkemeyer AF, Peters MG, Eagen KV, Riley ED. HCV treatment barriers among HIV/HCV co-infected patients in the US: a qualitative study to understand low uptake among marginalized populations in the DAA era. J Public Health (Oxf) 2020; 41:e283-e289. [PMID: 31044248 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdz045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Well-tolerated, highly effective HCV treatment, known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), is now recommended for all people living with HCV, providing the tools for HCV elimination. We sought to understand treatment barriers among low-income HIV/HCV coinfected patients and providers with the goal of increasing uptake. METHODS In 2014, we conducted 26 interviews with HIV/HCV co-infected patients and providers from a San Francisco clinic serving underinsured and publically-insured persons to explore barriers impacting treatment engagement and completion. Interview transcripts were coded, and a thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging patterns. RESULTS Conditions of poverty-specifically, meeting basic needs for food, shelter, and safety-undermined patient perceptions of self-efficacy to successfully complete HCV treatment programs. While patient participants expressed interest in HCV treatment, the perceived burden of taking daily medications without strong social support was an added challenge. This need for support contradicted provider assumptions that, due to the shorter-course regimens, support is unnecessary in the DAA era. CONCLUSIONS Interferon-free treatments alone are not sufficient to overcome social-structural barriers to HCV treatment and care among low-income HIV/HCV co-infected patients. Support for patients with unmet social needs may facilitate treatment initiation and completion, particularly among those in challenging socioeconomic situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa M Nápoles
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Abigail W Batchelder
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ada Lin
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lissa Moran
- Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mallory O Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Martha Shumway
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anne F Luetkemeyer
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marion G Peters
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kellene V Eagen
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Elise D Riley
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA
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Seear K. Addressing alcohol and other drug stigma: Where to next? Drug Alcohol Rev 2020; 39:109-113. [DOI: 10.1111/dar.13028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kate Seear
- Springvale Monash Legal Service Melbourne Australia
- Faculty of LawMonash University Melbourne Australia
- Social Studies of Addiction Concepts ProgramNational Drug Research Institute Melbourne Australia
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Høj SB, Jacka B, Minoyan N, Artenie AA, Bruneau J. Conceptualising access in the direct-acting antiviral era: An integrated framework to inform research and practice in HCV care for people who inject drugs. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2019; 72:11-23. [PMID: 31003825 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
As direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy costs fall and eligibility criteria are relaxed, people who inject drugs (PWID) will increasingly become eligible for HCV treatment. Yet eligibility does not necessarily equate to access. Amidst efforts to expand treatment uptake in this population, we seek to synthesise and clarify the conceptual underpinnings of access to health care for PWID, with a view to informing research and practice. Integrating dominant frameworks of health service utilisation, care seeking processes, and ecological perspectives on health promotion, we present a comprehensive theoretical framework to understand, investigate and intervene upon barriers and facilitators to HCV care for PWID. Built upon the concept of Candidacy, the framework describes access to care as a continually negotiated product of the alignment between individuals, health professionals, and health systems. Individuals must identify themselves as candidates for services and then work to stake this claim; health professionals serve as gatekeepers, adjudicating asserted candidacies within the context of localised operating conditions; and repeated interactions build experiential knowledge and patient-practitioner relationships, influencing identification and assertion of candidacy over time. These processes occur within a complex social ecology of interdependent individual, service, system, and policy factors, on which other established theories provide guidance. There is a pressing need for a deliberate and nuanced theory of health care access to complement efforts to document the HCV 'cascade of care' among PWID. We offer this framework as an organising device for observational research, intervention, and implementation science to expand access to HCV care in this vulnerable population. Using practical examples from the HCV literature, we demonstrate its utility for specifying research questions and intervention targets across multiple levels of influence; describing and testing plausible effect mechanisms; and identifying potential threats to validity or barriers to research translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stine Bordier Høj
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 rue St-Denis, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada.
| | - Brendan Jacka
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 rue St-Denis, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Nanor Minoyan
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 rue St-Denis, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada; École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, 7101 Avenue du Parc, Montréal, Québec, H3N 1X9, Canada
| | - Andreea Adelina Artenie
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 rue St-Denis, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada; École de Santé Publique de l'Université de Montréal, 7101 Avenue du Parc, Montréal, Québec, H3N 1X9, Canada
| | - Julie Bruneau
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 rue St-Denis, Montréal, Québec, H2X 0A9, Canada; Département de Médicine Familiale et Médecine d'Urgence, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada.
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Richmond JA, Ellard J, Wallace J, Thorpe R, Higgs P, Hellard M, Thompson A. Achieving a hepatitis C cure: a qualitative exploration of the experiences and meanings of achieving a hepatitis C cure using the direct acting antivirals in Australia. HEPATOLOGY, MEDICINE AND POLICY 2018; 3:8. [PMID: 30288331 PMCID: PMC6091021 DOI: 10.1186/s41124-018-0036-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Universal access to the hepatitis C direct acting antiviral (DAAs) regimens presents a unique opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C in Australia. Large numbers of Australians have already been cured using these treatments, however, the numbers presenting for treatment have begun to plateau. This study explored how people experienced and understood being cured of hepatitis C, with the aim of informing interventions to increase uptake of DAA treatment among people with hepatitis C. METHODS This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of people with hepatitis C taking DAAs accessing both hospital and community clinics. Interviews were conducted 12 weeks after treatment completion. Participants were asked to reflect on their experience of living with hepatitis C, their reasons for seeking treatment, and their experience of, DAA treatments. Participants were also asked to reflect on the meaning of being cured, and how they shared this experience with their peers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and key themes were identified using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS Twenty participants were interviewed. While participants described a range of physical health benefits of achieving a hepatitis C cure it was an improved sense of psychological wellbeing that had the most significant impact on participants' lives. The majority described their relief about no longer living with the burden of an uncertain future due to anxiety about developing liver disease or cancer, as well as fear of infecting others. Participants who had a past history of injecting drug use, described being cured as a way to break the connection with their past. Participants who were current injectors raised concerns about re-infection. CONCLUSION Feeling "normal" and not infectious allows people to live with reduced psychological distress, in addition to the physical benefits of no longer being at risk of developing serious liver disease. Future engagement strategies targeting people who are not accessing hepatitis health care need to promote the lived experience of being cured and the substantial psychological, and physical health benefits, offered by achieving a cure. Interventions aimed at people who are currently injecting also need to highlight the availability of re-treatment in conjunction with primary prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A. Richmond
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria Australia
- Disease Elimination, The Burnet Institute, Prahran, Victoria Australia
- Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Jeanne Ellard
- Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales Australia
| | - Jack Wallace
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria Australia
- Disease Elimination, The Burnet Institute, Prahran, Victoria Australia
| | - Rachel Thorpe
- Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria Australia
| | - Peter Higgs
- Disease Elimination, The Burnet Institute, Prahran, Victoria Australia
- Department of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria Australia
| | - Margaret Hellard
- Disease Elimination, The Burnet Institute, Prahran, Victoria Australia
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alexander Thompson
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Gastroenterology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC Australia
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