A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario
BACKGROUND: Two remote First Nations communities each collaborated with an urban-based liver clinic to organize wide-spread testing, followed by linkage to care for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHOD: Involvement of community members was central to planning and conduct of the programs. Samples were obt...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:9473560 2023-05-15T16:16:04+02:00 A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario Smookler, David Beck, Anne Head, Brenda Quoquat, Leroy Albany, Cheyanne Farrell, Terri Gordon, Janet Thurston, Nancy You, Lucy Capraru, Camelia McKay, Mike Kim, John Feld, Jordan J Shah, Hemant 2022-08-16 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9473560/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36133895 https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 en eng University of Toronto Press http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9473560/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36133895 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 Copyright © 2022 Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver This article is free to read to all interested readers, immediately upon publication. For their own personal use, users may read, download, print, search, or link to the full text. Manuscripts published in the Canadian Liver Journal are copyrighted to the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver. Requests for permission to reproduce this article should be made to the University of Toronto Press using the Permission Request Form: https://canlivj.utpjournals.press/policies#_copyright Can Liver J Original Research Text 2022 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 2022-09-25T00:43:04Z BACKGROUND: Two remote First Nations communities each collaborated with an urban-based liver clinic to organize wide-spread testing, followed by linkage to care for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHOD: Involvement of community members was central to planning and conduct of the programs. Samples were obtained using dry blood spot cards (DBS). A week-long pilot study in Community 1 investigated the effectiveness of the program, using DBS. Community 2, being larger, more remote, and known to be endemic for HCV was more challenging. Three-week-long testing drives plus a stand-alone testing day were used to collect samples over 5 months. Public Health Agency (PHAC)’s National Laboratory for HIV Reference Services (NLHRS) received and tested the DBS samples for HCV and other blood-borne infections. Outcomes were measured by number of people tested, the quality of the tests, and community members’ satisfaction with the program and retained knowledge about HCV, based on interviews. RESULTS: In Community 1, 226 people were tested for HCV over 4 days. 85% agreed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing as well. In Community 2, 484 people, one-half of the adult population, were tested. Surveys of participants showed food was the most significant draw, and Facebook the most effective way to inform people of the events. Interviews with staff and participants showed a high level of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The results suggest this is an effective approach to testing for HCV in unusually challenging settings. Lessons from the program include the power of community involvement; and the effectiveness of a highly targeted health initiative when developed through collaboration. Text First Nations PubMed Central (PMC) Canadian Liver Journal 5 3 329 338 |
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Original Research Smookler, David Beck, Anne Head, Brenda Quoquat, Leroy Albany, Cheyanne Farrell, Terri Gordon, Janet Thurston, Nancy You, Lucy Capraru, Camelia McKay, Mike Kim, John Feld, Jordan J Shah, Hemant A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
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Original Research |
description |
BACKGROUND: Two remote First Nations communities each collaborated with an urban-based liver clinic to organize wide-spread testing, followed by linkage to care for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHOD: Involvement of community members was central to planning and conduct of the programs. Samples were obtained using dry blood spot cards (DBS). A week-long pilot study in Community 1 investigated the effectiveness of the program, using DBS. Community 2, being larger, more remote, and known to be endemic for HCV was more challenging. Three-week-long testing drives plus a stand-alone testing day were used to collect samples over 5 months. Public Health Agency (PHAC)’s National Laboratory for HIV Reference Services (NLHRS) received and tested the DBS samples for HCV and other blood-borne infections. Outcomes were measured by number of people tested, the quality of the tests, and community members’ satisfaction with the program and retained knowledge about HCV, based on interviews. RESULTS: In Community 1, 226 people were tested for HCV over 4 days. 85% agreed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing as well. In Community 2, 484 people, one-half of the adult population, were tested. Surveys of participants showed food was the most significant draw, and Facebook the most effective way to inform people of the events. Interviews with staff and participants showed a high level of satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The results suggest this is an effective approach to testing for HCV in unusually challenging settings. Lessons from the program include the power of community involvement; and the effectiveness of a highly targeted health initiative when developed through collaboration. |
format |
Text |
author |
Smookler, David Beck, Anne Head, Brenda Quoquat, Leroy Albany, Cheyanne Farrell, Terri Gordon, Janet Thurston, Nancy You, Lucy Capraru, Camelia McKay, Mike Kim, John Feld, Jordan J Shah, Hemant |
author_facet |
Smookler, David Beck, Anne Head, Brenda Quoquat, Leroy Albany, Cheyanne Farrell, Terri Gordon, Janet Thurston, Nancy You, Lucy Capraru, Camelia McKay, Mike Kim, John Feld, Jordan J Shah, Hemant |
author_sort |
Smookler, David |
title |
A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
title_short |
A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
title_full |
A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
title_fullStr |
A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
title_full_unstemmed |
A collaborative approach to hepatitis C testing in two First Nations communities of northwest Ontario |
title_sort |
collaborative approach to hepatitis c testing in two first nations communities of northwest ontario |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9473560/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36133895 https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Can Liver J |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9473560/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36133895 http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 |
op_rights |
Copyright © 2022 Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver This article is free to read to all interested readers, immediately upon publication. For their own personal use, users may read, download, print, search, or link to the full text. Manuscripts published in the Canadian Liver Journal are copyrighted to the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver. Requests for permission to reproduce this article should be made to the University of Toronto Press using the Permission Request Form: https://canlivj.utpjournals.press/policies#_copyright |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/canlivj-2021-0031 |
container_title |
Canadian Liver Journal |
container_volume |
5 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
329 |
op_container_end_page |
338 |
_version_ |
1766001929982312448 |