Active search for hepatitis C patients in primary care

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Undiagnosed active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections hinder the World Health Organization's 2030 elimination goal.
• Primary care (PC) offers a strategic setting for active patient identification and case finding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an active search strategy in primary care for identifying and treating patients with undiagnosed hepatitis C.
• To assess the utility of the one-step diagnosis (OSD) approach in confirming active HCV infections.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of primary care patient records with an "hepatitis C" open case over five years.
• Inclusion of cases with incomplete diagnostic workups or those not initiated/completed treatment.
• Implementation of one-step diagnosis (OSD) for viremia assessment in patients with new serologic diagnoses.

Main Results:

• Out of 253 cases, 24.1% had incomplete diagnostics or treatment.
• Of 57 eligible patients, 92.9% accepted diagnostic testing.
• Active infections were confirmed in 75.4% (40 patients), with 100% treatment completion.

Conclusions:

• Active case finding in primary care is crucial for detecting undiagnosed hepatitis C.
• The one-step diagnosis (OSD) method facilitates rapid confirmation of active infections.
• Combined strategies significantly increase treatment rates, contributing to hepatitis C elimination goals.