Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador
Background: Global elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is feasible using existent tools. Reporting the provincial HCV care cascade will contribute to national and global HCV elimination efforts. Methods: This observational study was a secondary use of population-level medical record data, includi...
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crunivtoronpr:10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 2024-09-15T18:19:58+00:00 Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador Whitten, Cindy Turner, Alison Roberts, Kobe Howell, Brittany Sparkes, Brooklyn Daley, Peter 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 https://canlivj.utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 en eng University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) Canadian Liver Journal volume 7, issue 3, page 338-344 ISSN 2561-4444 journal-article 2024 crunivtoronpr https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 2024-09-05T05:02:09Z Background: Global elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is feasible using existent tools. Reporting the provincial HCV care cascade will contribute to national and global HCV elimination efforts. Methods: This observational study was a secondary use of population-level medical record data, including laboratory results for HCV testing and prescription data for HCV treatment in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). All patients with HCV antibody testing performed between Jan 1, 2017 and Jan 1, 2022 were included. All prescriptions dispensed from a community pharmacy in NL for any HCV treatment during the same period were included. Results: There were 84,252 antibody tests included. Of these, 3,626 (4.3%) tests were positive for HCV antibodies. Seventy eight percent (1,377/1,766) of the individuals with positive antibody tests were tested for HCV RNA. Only 377/1,061 (35.5%) individuals with a positive RNA test were treated, and 257/395 (65.1%) achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks. Conclusions: NL has successfully identified and treated HCV, but treatment access is low. Targets for improvement include increased screening, reflex testing of positive antibody with RNA, increased linkage to care, change in treatment funding policy, and quicker treatment funding decision. Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press) Canadian Liver Journal 7 3 338 344 |
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University of Toronto Press (U Toronto Press) |
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crunivtoronpr |
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English |
description |
Background: Global elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is feasible using existent tools. Reporting the provincial HCV care cascade will contribute to national and global HCV elimination efforts. Methods: This observational study was a secondary use of population-level medical record data, including laboratory results for HCV testing and prescription data for HCV treatment in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). All patients with HCV antibody testing performed between Jan 1, 2017 and Jan 1, 2022 were included. All prescriptions dispensed from a community pharmacy in NL for any HCV treatment during the same period were included. Results: There were 84,252 antibody tests included. Of these, 3,626 (4.3%) tests were positive for HCV antibodies. Seventy eight percent (1,377/1,766) of the individuals with positive antibody tests were tested for HCV RNA. Only 377/1,061 (35.5%) individuals with a positive RNA test were treated, and 257/395 (65.1%) achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks. Conclusions: NL has successfully identified and treated HCV, but treatment access is low. Targets for improvement include increased screening, reflex testing of positive antibody with RNA, increased linkage to care, change in treatment funding policy, and quicker treatment funding decision. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Whitten, Cindy Turner, Alison Roberts, Kobe Howell, Brittany Sparkes, Brooklyn Daley, Peter |
spellingShingle |
Whitten, Cindy Turner, Alison Roberts, Kobe Howell, Brittany Sparkes, Brooklyn Daley, Peter Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
author_facet |
Whitten, Cindy Turner, Alison Roberts, Kobe Howell, Brittany Sparkes, Brooklyn Daley, Peter |
author_sort |
Whitten, Cindy |
title |
Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_short |
Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_full |
Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_fullStr |
Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_full_unstemmed |
Population-level cascade of care for hepatitis C in Newfoundland and Labrador |
title_sort |
population-level cascade of care for hepatitis c in newfoundland and labrador |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 https://canlivj.utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_source |
Canadian Liver Journal volume 7, issue 3, page 338-344 ISSN 2561-4444 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2024-0003 |
container_title |
Canadian Liver Journal |
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7 |
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3 |
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338 |
op_container_end_page |
344 |
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1810458318032863232 |