Summary of an environmental scan of HIV and Hepatitis C programs, projects and initiatives in Saskatchewan

In 2019, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C (HCV) diagnosis rates in Saskatchewan (SK) were approximately twice the national rate. To address these high levels, Saskatchewan Stories, a community-based digital database, was developed to make information on Saskatchewan-based HIV and HCV programs, projects and initiatives (PPI) centrally and freely available. To begin populating this database, we conducted an environmental scan representing HIV and HCV PPI from January 1, 1980 to May 31, 2020.

MedLine, ERIC, ProQuest One Literature, Public Health Information database, SCOPUS and CINAHL were searched for both HIV and HCV articles. In addition, Bibliography of Native North Americans was searched for HIV and EMBSE (Ovid) and Indigenous studies portal (iPortal) were searched for HCV articles. Google Canada, Government of Saskatchewan, and Government of Canada websites were also searched.

In total, 139 HIV-specific PPI and 29 HCV-specific PPI were found in the environmental scan (n=168). Among HIV PPI, 27% (n=38) were from academic literature while 73% (n=101) were from grey literature. Among HCV PPI, 41% (n=12) were from academic literature, while 59% (n=17) were from grey literature. HIV accounted for 83% of total PPI, compared to 17% for HCV.

This environmental scan is an important contribution to evidence-based practice and research in SK. It is particularly useful for organizations, researchers, policymakers and people living with HIV/HCV to develop new evidence-based PPI, to secure funding for PPI and to support individuals and communities in SK affected by HIV and HCV.