Hepatitis C
Conditions
Keywords
hepatitis C, Pharmacy, Testing
Brief summary
The research project aims to understand how pharmacies can be involved in the identification and treatment of hepatitis C (hep C). The study will look at the effectiveness of hep C testing and treatment through pharmacies with support from the Cool Aid Community Health Centre (CACHC). The study will also evaluate the readiness of pharmacies to take on these extra tasks at the pharmacy. This information will be used to develop future strategies to better detect, treat and prevent hep C.
Detailed description
The primary objective of this project is to decrease barriers to care for hepatitis C (HCV) treatment for people who use drugs through the use of rapid diagnostic testing technologies, and task shifting HCV testing and treatment follow up to include trained pharmacy staff. Secondary objectives are to evaluate interest, readiness, and effectiveness of community-based pharmacies as a location for the screening and treatment of HCV. A prospective, longitudinal interventional cohort design will be used to enrol people who access community-based pharmacies and have tested for HCV RNA. Persons with untreated chronic HCV infection will receive direct acting antiviral treatment. This is a trial of pharmacist-led HCV testing and treatment versus conventional care in HCV positive patients.
Interventions
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTHepatitis C Point of Care Testing and Treatment
Pharmacy led hepatitis C point of care testing
Sponsors
Cool Aid Community Health Centre
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Able to provide informed consent 2. Age \> 18 years old 3. Documented HCV RNA test, interested in being tested for HCV antibody or at risk for HCV (ie. Baby boomers: anyone born between 1945-1965, anyone known to currently (past 6 months) or have a history of injecting drugs, including anyone receiving Opiate Agonist Therapy (OAT), any gay or bisexual men who have sex with men (gbMSM))
Exclusion criteria
1\) Declined to provide informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HCV access to care for HCV testing and treatment | 24 weeks | Number of patients tested for hepatitis C (HCV) antibodies through through the use of rapid diagnostic testing technologies by trained pharmacy staff that are found positive for HCV RNA and treated for HCV |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed