"Tweak Your Order Set!" Implementation of Modified Laboratory Order Set Improves Hepatitis C Virus Screening Rates in...

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Hepatitis C virus antibody (HCVAb) testing rates are suboptimal.
• Barriers include provider knowledge deficits regarding the evolving HCV epidemic and underestimation of patient risk.
• Low HCVAb testing rates were observed in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) within an outpatient HIV Infectious Diseases clinic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address and improve the low rates of HCVAb screening.
• To implement a quality improvement project aimed at increasing HCVAb testing.
• To enhance screening protocols for hepatitis C in an HIV patient population.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was designed and implemented.
• The project focused on an outpatient HIV Infectious Diseases clinic setting.
• Interventions were developed to overcome identified barriers to testing.

Main Results:

• The study identified significant barriers to annual HCVAb testing.
• Low screening rates were specifically noted in patients with HIV.
• A quality improvement initiative was initiated to address these low rates.

Conclusions:

• Provider-related factors significantly impede hepatitis C virus antibody testing.
• Targeted interventions are necessary to improve HCVAb screening in at-risk populations.
• Quality improvement efforts can enhance diagnostic testing for infectious diseases in clinical settings.