A pilot study to understand and respond to loss, theft, and misplacement of hepatitis C treatment medication for people who inject drugs

Abstract

Between 2019 and 2021, formative data collection and medication storage container prototype development

“No, my name’s not on the lease at all”: an interpretive phenomenological analysis of unstable housing and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs

“…As noted in our analyses, engagement in hepatitis C care is dependent on individual circumstances, however, most people are expected to adhere to whatever has been determined by treatment providers to be suitable. More individualized approaches for people who are sleeping rough could include simple and cost-effective personalized medication storage options (Morris et al , 2023). Within pharmacies, some people may be happy to receive daily hepatitis C dosing alongside their daily OAT, however others may prefer to receive one weeks or one months’ worth of medication at once, which again, is dependent upon their own individual circumstances (Gunn and Higgs, 2020).…”

A framework for approaching hepatitis C reinfection in people who use drugs

“…At the systems level, health care systems can support the use of telehealth to improve health care access throughout the HCV care continuum, including evidence-based practices like project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes and community-based facilitated telemedicine programs 31,32 . Safe medication storage devices to improve medication adherence and achieve SVR with initial treatment and after reinfection should be considered, particularly among people experiencing homelessness 33 . HCV point of care testing, when available, can be used to shorten the time to HCV diagnosis and initiation of treatment and to monitor for reinfection 34 .…”

“…[31,32] Safe medication storage devices to improve medication adherence and achieve SVR with initial treatment and after reinfection should be considered, particularly among people experiencing homelessness. [33] HCV point of care testing, when available, can be used to shorten the time to HCV diagnosis and initiation of treatment and to monitor for reinfection. [34] Lastly, funding for HCV elimination efforts, innovative treatment approaches like shorter-duration treatment options and long-acting injectables, and research into effective HCV vaccines must be prioritized.…”

Erratum: A pilot study to understand and respond to loss, theft, and misplacement of hepatitis C treatment medication for people who inject drugs

“…In the original article by Morris et al, 1 the Conflicts of Interest statement is incorrect. It should read as follows:…”