Peer-assisted telemedicine for hepatitis C intervention in people experiencing housing instability

The rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment initiation and cure is suboptimal among people experiencing homelessness. A recent randomized controlled trial conducted by our study team compared peer-assisted telemedicine for HCV (TeleHCV) to peer-assisted referral to local providers (enhanced usual care [EUC]) in a rural population in Oregon. We hypothesized that the TeleHCV treatment model is more effective than EUC among those with unstable housing.

In this secondary analysis of the Oregon TeleHCV randomized controlled trial in adults with HCV and injection drug use (n = 203), we explored the role of unstable housing as an effect modifier of the TeleHCV intervention using a Poisson regression analysis. Randomized arm, frequency of peer contacts, and medication lockers were exposures of interest. HCV cure, defined as undetectable HCV RNA 12 weeks after treatment initiation, is the primary outcome.

Overall, attaining HCV cure was less likely for those with unstable housing (RR = 0.68, 0.49-0.96, p = 0.026). However, unstably housed participants assigned to the TeleHCV arm were more than 6 times more likely to achieve HCV cure compared to unstably housed EUC participants (RR = 6.47, 3.12-13.43, p < 0.001) with a statistically significant interaction between treatment assignment and housing status (p = 0.022). The impact of TeleHCV on HCV cure was also identified among stably housed participants, but with a smaller effect size (RR = 2.15, 1.19-3.89, p = 0.012). Among participants with unstable housing, greater peer engagement was associated with an increased likelihood of both treatment initiation (RR = 1.24, p < 0.001) and HCV cure (RR 1.26; p < 0.001).

The peer-assisted TeleHCV intervention was substantially more effective for achieving HCV cure among participants with unstable housing at baseline compared to those unstably housed who received EUC. The treatment model should be broadly disseminated to target populations with HCV and high rates of homelessness to achieve HCV elimination goals.

NCT04798521.