Findings from a Project Which Established Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing and Linkage to Care at a Homelessness Service in Adelaide, Australia, 2021-2022.

Journal: Viruses
Published:
Abstract

Background: Point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing streamlines testing and treatment pathways. In this study, we established an HCV model of care in a homelessness service by offering antibody and RNA point-of-care testing.

Methods: A nurse and peer-led HCV model of care with peer support were implemented between November 2021 and April 2022 at a homelessness service in Adelaide, Australia. All clients of the service were eligible to participate. Clients were offered an initial antibody point-of-care test, and antibody positive clients were immediately offered RNA point-of-care testing. Clients who tested RNA positive were linked to a viral hepatitis nurse for treatment.

Results: A total of 230 clients received an HCV antibody point-of-care test, of which 68 (30%) were antibody positive and 11 (5%) were RNA positive. Of these, seven (64%) clients successfully completed treatment and five (45%) received a sustained virological response (SVR) test to confirm cure.

Conclusions: We successfully established HCV testing and a treatment pathway at a homelessness service using HCV antibody and RNA point-of-care testing. The high testing uptake underscores the utility of HCV point-of-care testing when establishing HCV testing and treatment pathways. The low RNA positivity suggests that an initial HCV antibody test was cost-effective, and the four clients diagnosed with chronic HCV who were lost to follow-up indicate a need for enhanced treatment support.

Authors
Erin Mccartney, Joshua Dawe, Lucy Ralton, Jeffrey Stewart, Jacqueline Richmond, Alan Wigg, Victoria Cock, Edmund Tse, Tom Rees, David Shaw, Catherine Ferguson
Relevant Conditions

Hepatitis C, Hepatitis