Reasons for compliance or noncompliance with advice to test for hepatitis C via an internet-mediated blood screening

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Freke R Zuure1, Titia Heijman, Anouk T Urbanus

  • 1Cluster Infectious Diseases, Department of Research, Public Health Service of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. fzuure@ggd.amsterdam.nl

BMC Public Health
|May 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

An online Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing service motivated users through personalized advice and convenience. However, some features hindered uptake, requiring adaptation to improve compliance with HCV testing.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission occurs via blood exposure, potentially leading to liver cirrhosis and cancer.
  • Asymptomatic nature of early HCV and cirrhosis results in many undiagnosed cases.
  • An internet-mediated blood testing service was established to identify HCV infections in the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To qualitatively examine reasons for compliance and noncompliance with HCV testing advice.
  • To understand user motivations and barriers related to an online blood testing service for Hepatitis C virus.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted semistructured telephone interviews with 33 website visitors advised to test for HCV (18 testers, 15 non-testers).
  • Analyzed transcribed interviews qualitatively using psychosocial theories of health behavior.

Main Results:

  • Online service features like autonomous testing and personalized advice increased motivation.
  • Barriers included inconvenient facilities, low commitment, technical issues, and misinterpretation of online tools.
  • Non-service related barriers included low perceived risk, absence of symptoms, fear of results, and discouraging social environments.

Conclusions:

  • Online service features significantly influenced motivation for Hepatitis C virus testing.
  • Certain online features were problematic and require modification to improve compliance.
  • Strategies are outlined to address barriers and enhance uptake of online HCV testing.
Abstract

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