Journal article
Point-of-care Hepatitis C virus testing and linkage to treatment in an Australian inner-city emergency department
J Hutton, J Doyle, R Zordan, T Weiland, A Cocco, J Howell, S Iser, J Snell, S Fry, K New, R Sloane, M Jarman, D Phan, S Tran, A Pedrana, B Williams, J Johnson, S Glasgow, A Thompson
International Journal of Drug Policy | ELSEVIER | Published : 2019
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In Australia, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment is declining, despite broad access to direct-acting antiviral medication. People who inject drugs are proportionally over-represented in emergency department presentations. Emergency department assessment of people who have injected drugs for HCV presents an opportunity to engage this marginalised population with treatment. We describe the outcomes of risk-based screening and point-of-care anti-HCV testing for emergency department patients, and linkage to outpatient antiviral treatment. METHODS: During the three-month study period, consecutive adult patients who presented to the emergency department during the study times were scree..
View full abstract
Grants
Awarded by Inclusive Health Innovation Fund, Australia
Funding Acknowledgements
This work was completed by St Vincent's Health Australia, Inclusive Health Innovation Fund, Australia [grant number 81859] and the Shepherd Foundation, Australia. No pharmaceutical grants were received in the development of this study. The funding bodies played no role in the study design, data analysis, or preparation of the manuscript for publication.