TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers and facilitators of hepatitis C screening among people who inject drugs
T2 - A multi-city, mixed-methods study
AU - Barocas, Joshua A.
AU - Brennan, Meghan B.
AU - Hull, Shawnika J.
AU - Stokes, Scott
AU - Fangman, John J.
AU - Westergaard, Ryan P.
N1 - Funding Information: This manuscript was supported by the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grant UL1TR000427. RPW is supported by NIH grant K23DA032306. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. MBB is supported by an Advanced Research Fellowship through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Funding for this project was also provided by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health from the Wisconsin Partnership Program. The authors would like to thank the clients of the Lifepoint Needle Exchange for participating in the study. We would like to also thank the staff of AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, who generously donated their workspace and time to make this study possible.
PY - 2014/1/14
Y1 - 2014/1/14
N2 - Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of contracting and transmitting and hepatitis C virus (HCV). While accurate screening tests and effective treatment are increasingly available, prior research indicates that many PWID are unaware of their HCV status. Methods: We examined characteristics associated with HCV screening among 553 PWID utilizing a free, multi-site syringe exchange program (SEP) in 7 cities throughout Wisconsin. All participants completed an 88-item, computerized survey assessing past experiences with HCV testing, HCV transmission risk behaviors, and drug use patterns. A subset of 362 clients responded to a series of open-ended questions eliciting their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to screening for HCV. Transcripts of these responses were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results: Most respondents (88%) reported receiving a HCV test in the past, and most of these (74%) were tested during the preceding 12 months. Despite the availability of free HCV screening at the SEP, fewer than 20% of respondents had ever received a test at a syringe exchange site. Clients were more likely to receive HCV screening in the past year if they had a primary care provider, higher educational attainment, lived in a large metropolitan area, and a prior history of opioid overdose. Themes identified through qualitative analysis suggested important roles of access to medical care and prevention services, and nonjudgmental providers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that drug-injecting individuals who reside in non-urban settings, who have poor access to primary care, or who have less education may encounter significant barriers to routine HCV screening. Expanded access to primary health care and prevention services, especially in non-urban areas, could address an unmet need for individuals at high risk for HCV.
AB - Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of contracting and transmitting and hepatitis C virus (HCV). While accurate screening tests and effective treatment are increasingly available, prior research indicates that many PWID are unaware of their HCV status. Methods: We examined characteristics associated with HCV screening among 553 PWID utilizing a free, multi-site syringe exchange program (SEP) in 7 cities throughout Wisconsin. All participants completed an 88-item, computerized survey assessing past experiences with HCV testing, HCV transmission risk behaviors, and drug use patterns. A subset of 362 clients responded to a series of open-ended questions eliciting their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to screening for HCV. Transcripts of these responses were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results: Most respondents (88%) reported receiving a HCV test in the past, and most of these (74%) were tested during the preceding 12 months. Despite the availability of free HCV screening at the SEP, fewer than 20% of respondents had ever received a test at a syringe exchange site. Clients were more likely to receive HCV screening in the past year if they had a primary care provider, higher educational attainment, lived in a large metropolitan area, and a prior history of opioid overdose. Themes identified through qualitative analysis suggested important roles of access to medical care and prevention services, and nonjudgmental providers. Conclusions: Our results suggest that drug-injecting individuals who reside in non-urban settings, who have poor access to primary care, or who have less education may encounter significant barriers to routine HCV screening. Expanded access to primary health care and prevention services, especially in non-urban areas, could address an unmet need for individuals at high risk for HCV.
KW - Health care access
KW - Hepatitis C
KW - Injection drug use
KW - Screening
KW - Stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84892397492&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84892397492&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1477-7517-11-1
DO - 10.1186/1477-7517-11-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 24422784
SN - 1477-7517
VL - 11
JO - Harm reduction journal
JF - Harm reduction journal
IS - 1
M1 - 1
ER -