Feasibility and Acceptability of Universal Adult Screening for Chronic Hepatitis B in Primary Care Clinics

Two thirds of Americans infected with chronic hepatitis B are unaware of their infection. In March 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended moving from risk-based to universal adult chronic hepatitis B screening. In April 2022, Stanford implemented chronic hepatitis B universal screening discussion alerts for primary care providers.

After 6 months, the authors surveyed 143 primary care providers at 13 Stanford primary care clinics about universal chronic hepatitis B screening acceptability and implementation feasibility. They conducted semistructured interviews with 15 primary care providers and 5 medical assistants around alerts and chronic hepatitis B universal versus risk-based screening.

Forty-five percent of surveyed primary care providers responded. A total of 63% reported that universal screening would identify more patients with chronic hepatitis B. Before implementation, 77% ordered 0-5 chronic hepatitis B screenings per month. After implementation, 71% ordered >6 screenings per month. A total of 66% shared that universal screening removed the stigma around discussing high-risk behaviors. Interview themes included (1) low clinical burden, (2) current underscreening of at-risk groups, (3) providers preferring universal screening, (4) patients accepting universal screening, and (5) ease of chronic hepatitis B alert implementation.

Consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, implementing universal chronic hepatitis B screening in primary care clinics in Northern California was feasible, was acceptable to providers and patients, eased health maintenance burdens, and improved clinic workflows.