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Implementation and Evaluation of a Collaborative, Pharmacy-Based Hepatitis C and HIV Screening Program.
Donald G Klepser1, Michael E Klepser2,3, Philip J Peters4
1College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
Preventing Chronic Disease
|December 8, 2022
Summary
Community pharmacies can improve public health by offering HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening. This increases access to testing and linkage to care for at-risk populations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Disease Control
- Pharmacy Practice
Background:
- Pharmacy-based screening services, in collaboration with health departments, enhance public health outcomes.
- Increased access to testing and linkage-to-care strategies are crucial for managing HIV and HCV infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of implementing HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening services within community pharmacy settings.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, multicenter implementation project involving 61 pharmacies across 3 US regions from July 2015 to August 2018.
- Assessed the effectiveness of point-of-care testing, counseling, and disease education for at-risk populations.
- Offered HIV and/or HCV point-of-care tests to pharmacy customers, reporting reactive results for disease surveillance.
Main Results:
- 1,164 patients were screened for HIV, HCV, or both.
- Pharmacists performed 1,479 HIV or HCV tests.
- Reactive results: 0.8% for HIV (5/612) and 20.9% for HCV (181/867).
Conclusions:
- Community pharmacies are effective sites for HIV and HCV screening, particularly for at-risk individuals.
- Accessible testing combined with tailored linkage-to-care strategies improves patient outcomes for HIV and HCV.
- Pharmacy-based screening contributes to better patient care and disease management.
