New qualitative study receives NHS ethics approval to explore barriers and facilitators to re-engagement in hepatitis C care
Despite the introduction of highly effective and well-tolerated directly acting antivirals (DAAs) for the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), many individuals with a historic HCV infection (or historical positive HCV antigen or PCR test) in England have potentially been lost to care. Since the availability of DAAs, re-engaging these patients has formed an important component of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Strategy for the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.
A new study "Viral Hepatitis C re-engagement: Barriers and facilitators among individuals diagnosed with Viral Hepatitis" has received ethics approval (IRAS no. 328384). The primary concern of this research study is to explore barriers and facilitators to ongoing or historic HCV re-engagement efforts in England. We will interview individuals who are known to have been contacted by healthcare providers (e.g., NHS England Operational Delivery Networks who deliver Viral Hepatitis treatment or mobile HCV care facilities (“outreach vans”)) in order to be re-engaged with HCV care. We will qualitatively analyse the barriers and facilitators that affected individuals experienced and draw recommendations for future efforts from the behavioural analysis. Re-engagement, in this study, is understood as engagement with HCV care (testing, treatment) after a period of not having done so despite initial diagnosis and/ or receiving further invitations to get tested and treated.
This study is NIHR funded and was conceptualized by members of the Hepatitis section at the UK Health Security Agency, and researchers from the Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, led by the University College London. The recruitment and interviewing will be undertaken by the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust fund, and Southampton University Hospital/ Wessex-based commissioned HCV care outreach van team. Working with local HCV care providers will allow for recruitment and interviewing of participants by locally known and/ or specialised teams.
The results will help optimise re-engagement strategies. Lessons learned will be disseminated through academic and public health networks, through peer-reviewed publications, and publicly available reports and materials. First insights are expected in Spring 2025.
For further information or to get in touch with the study team, please email: Carina Hoerst (Carina.Hoerst@ukhsa.gov.uk) or Monica Desai (Monica.Desai@ukhsa.gov.uk)
Please check back at a later date for study updates and summary results.