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Barriers may affect engagement of PCPs, patients for proper treatment of HBV, HCV

Primary care physicians in the United Kingdom with limited knowledge and concerns about hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections had limited ability to engage in proper screening and treatment for patients with the infection in a primary care-based setting, according to study data.

In this qualitative study, Lorna Sweeney, PhD, of the Institute for Health and Human Development at the University of East London, and colleagues aimed to understand the knowledge and attitude towards effective treatment strategies for screening and treating patients in the UK with HBV and HCV, as well as the management of the infections in a range of high-risk minority ethnic communities and health professionals. The researchers focused on high-risk regions in China, Pakistan, Africa and Eastern Europe.

The researchers also sought to receive professional perspective on developing a model for screening and treating the infections within primary care.

Data collected through semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 17), focus groups with people from the targeted high-risk communities (n = 95) and semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (n = 6), were analyzed using the Framework method, according to the research.

Overall, results indicated that key informants and general practitioners showed that they had limited knowledge and understanding of HBV and HCV within high-risk immigrant communities, and that chronic viral hepatitis did not typically feature in community discourses about serious illness. Also, many were confused between the different types of viral hepatitis, had misunderstanding of how the infections are transmitted and did not know the asymptomatic nature of chronic infection, according to the research.

Some of the participants identified various barriers of engaging primary care-based screening and treatment, including language and communication difficulties, limited time in terms of working hours and the lack of trust and confidence in general care by patients.

Key informants expressed that a screening and treatment program would be beneficial and popular among many people, but it would not reach high-risk areas due to at-risk illegal immigrants and those not registered at a general practice.

“Strategies to reduce the burden of chronic viral hepatitis in immigrant communities will need to consider how levels of understanding about hepatitis B and C within these communities, and barriers to accessing health care, may affect capacity to engage with screening and treatment,” the researchers concluded. “Services may need to work with community groups and language support services to provide information and wider encouragement for screening. Primary care services will need ongoing consultation regarding their support needs to deliver hepatitis screening and treatment programs.” – by Melinda Stevens

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.