Peer outreach point-of-care testing as a bridge to hepatitis C care for people who inject drugs in Toronto, Canada

Interventions to increase linkage to care and adherence to treatment for hepatitis C among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and practical considerations from an expert panel consultation

“…(2017) NRS CA Hospital and regional HCV program Patients from hospital and regional HCV program (TM: 70.1%; NA; NA / Non-TM: 54.9%; NA; NA) Majority of clinic visits conducted utilizing the Ontario TeleHealth Network video and audio system. Patient and remote site TM nurse are linked by audio and video to hospital site at which the HCV clinician, nurse and allied health care providers are located Usual care: all assessments conducted at hospital outpatient clinic based within a tertiary care center Treatment initiation 27/43 (62.8%) 319/608 (52.5%) RR 1.07 [0.83, 1.39] Peers Broad et al. (2020) RCT CA Three HCV program sites Participants recruited from peer out-reach worker's personal networks or strangers/acquaintances found in non-health care settings (100%; 65.8%; NA) Point of care HCV testing and linkage to care via outreach workers (research assistants with lived experience of HCV hired, trained and supported to deliver HCV education and POC HCV antibody testing) Usual care, testing as usual (no POC testing) Visit (within 6 months) 6/195 (3%) 5/185 (3%) RR 1.17 [0.36, 3.77] Ward, Falade-Nwulia, et al.…”

“…Three studies evaluated interventions to enhance linkage to care and six studies investigated the effect of interventions on both linkage to care and adherence to treatment ( Table 1 and Fig. 2 A) ( Broad et al., 2020 ; Starbird et al., 2020 ; Cooper et al., 2017 ; Ho et al., 2015 ; Messina et al., 2020 ; Norton et al., 2019 ; Radley et al., 2020 ; Wade et al., 2019 ; Ward, Falade-Nwulia, et al., 2019 ). Six of the nine studies were RCTs (of which one was a cluster RCT).…”

“…Two RCTs evaluated the effect of a peer interventional approach on linkage to care. Broad et al. (2020) assessed the proportion of participants who had a visit with the HCV nurse within 6 months after point-of-care testing and contact with trained outreach workers with lived HCV experience (=peers).…”

Hepatitis C Micro-Elimination beyond Prison Walls: Navigator-Assisted Test-and-Treat Strategy for Subjects Serving Non-Custodial Sentences

“…At least, around Spain there are several similar centers with almost comparable resources than can implement this model of care. Pretty similar models are already working in addictions center and mobile clinics (Denmark) [ 34 , 35 ], where peers [ 36 ] help people to join these centers to take screening tests and to enroll harm reduction program and treatment facilities in Canada [ 37 ] and Mexico [ 38 ].…”

Cost‐effectiveness analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) point‐of‐care assay for HCV screening

“…The study cohort included IDUs with a mean age of 42. 14 Participants diagnosed with HCV were assumed to have HCV genotype 1, which is the predominant subtype in Canada. 7,15…”