Integrating Hepatitis C Treatment in the Postpartum Setting: A Call for Practice Innovation

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Maternal Health

Background:

• Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 50 million globally, with a significant rise in pregnant individuals due to increased injection drug use.
• Despite recommendations for universal prenatal HCV screening, postpartum treatment initiation remains a challenge, leading to low follow-through rates for specialist referrals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a patient-centered program integrating HCV care into outpatient prenatal and postpartum services.
• To streamline the process from prenatal diagnosis to postpartum direct-acting antiviral treatment initiation and follow-up.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an integrated HCV care model within existing perinatal services at a rural academic medical center.
• Focus on a patient-centered approach to reduce barriers to treatment and improve follow-through.

Main Results:

• The integrated program facilitates timely HCV treatment postpartum.
• Embedding care within perinatal services demonstrates effectiveness in overcoming treatment initiation gaps.

Conclusions:

• Integrating Hepatitis C virus care into routine perinatal services is an effective strategy to increase curative treatment rates.
• This model is suitable for midwifery and obstetric practice, accelerating progress toward HCV elimination goals.