Provider, Patient, and Practice Factors Shape Hepatitis B Prevention and Management by Primary Care Providers

To evaluate provider knowledge, attitudes and barriers to hepatitis B virus (HBV) care and management practices across diverse primary care settings.

Factors influencing adherence to recommended HBV screening and management guidelines are poorly defined.

Providers across various health care settings in San Francisco were surveyed. Multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with recommended HBV screening, vaccination, and disease monitoring.

Of 277 (41.3%) responding providers, 42% reported performing HBV screening in >50% of at-risk patients, and 49%, HBV vaccination in >50% of eligible patients. Most reported appropriate monitoring of a majority of HBV-infected patients with alanine aminotransferase (79%) and HBV viral load (67%) every 6 to 12 months, but performed any hepatocellular carcinoma screening in 49%. Provider factors significantly associated with HBV screening were speaking an Asian language [odds ratio (OR), 3.27], offering HBV treatment (OR, 3.00), having >25% of Asian patients in practice (OR, 2.10), practicing in safety net settings (OR, 7.51) and having higher barrier score (OR, 0.74). Appropriate HBV monitoring was associated with provider speaking an Asian language (OR, 3.43) and provider age (OR, 0.68/decade). Hepatocellular carcinoma screening was associated with having >25% of patients speaking English as a second language (OR, 4.26) and practicing in safety net settings (OR, 0.14).

Rates of adherence to HBV guidelines were suboptimal irrespective of practice setting and were influenced by certain provider, patient and practice factors. This study reinforces the importance of engaging primary care providers in development, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based HBV practice guidelines.