Patient preferences for simplified hepatitis C testing modalities among people at risk of hepatitis C infection in Australia: the SELECT study.

Background: Understanding patient preferences for hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing is essential to improve uptake and support elimination efforts. Despite innovative testing modalities, limited research examines how preferences influence testing choices. This study compared the uptake of HCV testing modalities when participants were given a choice.

Professional identities and new technologies of hepatitis C point-of-care testing.

Background: New hepatitis C virus (HCV) point-of-care testing technologies need models of care which involve new tasks to be performed by the health workforce (e.g., pathologists, community health workers, and peer workers).

"It's not just running the test": Operator experiences of implementing a decentralised hepatitis C point-of-care testing program in Australia.

Background: The decentralisation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) point-of-care testing is a core part of Australia's strategy to meet WHO elimination targets. However, little is known about the experiences of providers implementing these interventions and thus what is needed to improve integration. The study aim was to understand operator experiences, including the challenges and enablers, of implementing point-of-care testing as part of a National Point-of-Care Testing Program.

Using theory-informed, arts-based research translation to change community attitudes towards people who inject drugs newly released from prison: A randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: Community attitudes contribute to social exclusion of people with incarceration and injecting drug use histories. Interventions that positively impact community attitudes can strengthen efforts to reduce recidivism and support positive outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the impact of such interventions on public perceptions towards people who inject drugs newly released from prison.

Acceptability of hepatitis C testing using point-of-care testing and dried blood spot collection among people at risk of hepatitis C infection.

Background: Hepatitis C (HCV) testing innovations such as dried blood spot (DBS) and point-of-care testing should have fewer client-related barriers than traditional diagnostic pathways, yet there is limited evidence on their acceptability among people who inject drugs. To address this gap, this study sought to evaluate the acceptability of DBS and point-of-care testing among people at risk of HCV infection and understand the circumstances in which such testing is most preferred.

Methods: Participants were recruited from community sites involved in the Australian HCV Point-of-Care Testing Program.

A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Involving Financial Incentives to Facilitate Hepatitis C Treatment Uptake Among People Who Inject Drugs: ETHOS Engage Study.

The primary aim of this study was to establish the feasibility of implementing a larger RCT designed to evaluate the effect of financial incentives on HCV treatment initiation among persons receiving opioid agonist therapy and/or who have injected drugs in the prior six months. ETHOS Engage is an observational cohort of participants recruited from drug treatment and needle and syringe programs in Australia. Among 11 drug and alcohol clinics, participants who were HCV RNA-positive were randomized (1:1) to receive standard of care or a AUD $60 gift card at treatment initiation.

Applying a stigma and time framework to facilitate equitable access to hepatitis C care among women who inject drugs: The ETHOS Engage Study.

Background: Women who inject drugs are significantly less likely to initiate hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment than men. Concerted efforts are needed to minimise gender-based inequalities in care. The study aim was to use a stigma and time framework to investigate how women who inject drugs experienced HCV care in healthcare settings.

The reflections of health service providers on implementing contingency management for methamphetamine use disorder in Australia.

Introduction: Contingency management (CM) is the most effective treatment for reducing methamphetamine use. We sought to understand why CM has not been taken up to manage methamphetamine use disorder in Australia.

Methods: Six focus groups (4-8 participants per group) were conducted with health workers from agencies in Australia that provided drug-related health care to people who use methamphetamine.

Factors associated with hepatitis C testing, treatment, and current hepatitis C infection among men and women who inject drugs: The ETHOS engage study.

Background: Evaluating gender-specific trends in hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment uptake among men and women who inject drugs is crucial for ensuring equitable progress towards HCV elimination. This study aimed to quantify differences in testing, treatment, and current HCV infection between men and women who inject drugs.

Method: ETHOS Engage is an observational cohort study of people who inject drugs attending drug treatment clinics and needle and syringe programs in Australia recruited from May 2018-September 2019 (wave 1) and November 2019-April 2021 (wave 2).

Direct-acting antiviral therapies for hepatitis C infection: global registration, reimbursement, and restrictions.

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have delivered high response rates (>95%) and simplified the management of HCV treatment, permitting non-specialists to manage patients without advanced liver disease. We collected and reviewed global data on the registration and reimbursement (government subsidised) of HCV therapies, including restrictions on reimbursement. Primary data collection occurred between Nov 15, 2021, and July 24, 2023, through the assistance of a global network of 166 HCV experts.

Progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis: a Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission update.

The top 20 highest burdened countries (in disability-adjusted life years) account for more than 75% of the global burden of viral hepatitis. An effective response in these 20 countries is crucial if global elimination targets are to be achieved. In this update of the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission on accelerating the elimination of viral hepatitis, we convene national experts from each of the top 20 highest burdened countries to provide an update on progress.

Typology of laws restricting access to methadone treatment in the United States: A latent class analysis.

Background: In the United States, methadone treatment for opioid use disorder is only available at opioid treatment programs (OTPs). In addition to federal regulations, states can enact laws which shape access to OTPs. We aimed to define classes of states according to restrictiveness of state OTP laws and examine population characteristics associated with class membership.

Public reimbursement policies in Canada for direct-acting antiviral treatment of hepatitis C virus infection: A descriptive study.

Background: Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies have simplified HCV treatment, and publicly funded Canadian drug plans have eliminated disease-stage restrictions for reimbursement of DAA therapies. However other policies which complicate, delay, or prevent treatment initiation still persist. We aim to describe these plans' existing reimbursement criteria and appraise whether they hinder treatment access.

Health-related quality of life among people who inject drugs in Australia.

Purpose: There is limited research on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to evaluate factors associated with HRQoL among a cohort of PWID in Australia.

Methods: Participants were enrolled in an observational cohort study (the LiveRLife Study) between 2014 and 2018 at 15 sites in Australia.

Perspectives and sentiments on contingency management from people who use methamphetamine.

Introduction: Contingency management (CM) is currently the most efficacious treatment for methamphetamine use, yet it is rarely available in routine care. We examined the viewpoints of people who use methamphetamine on CM as a potential treatment for methamphetamine use disorder.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 30 Australians aged 18 years or older who had used methamphetamine at least weekly in the past 6 months.

Perceived access to opioid agonist treatment in prison among people with a history of injection drug use: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is associated with a reduced likelihood of hepatitis C incidence, nonfatal overdose, and (re)incarceration among people who inject drugs (PWID), yet factors underpinning decisions to access OAT in prison and postrelease are not well understood. The aim of the qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of OAT access while in prison among PWID recently released from prison in Australia.

Methods: Eligible participants enrolled in the SuperMix cohort (n = 1303) were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview in Victoria, Australia.

"You'll come in and dose even in a global pandemic": A qualitative study of adaptive opioid agonist treatment provision during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) improves multiple health and social outcomes, yet requirements to attend for supervised dosing can be burdensome and stigmatising. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions threatened continuity of care and the wellbeing of people receiving OAT, risking a parallel health crisis. This study sought to understand how adaptations in the complex system of OAT provision impacted and responded to risk environments of people receiving OAT during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interventions to enhance testing and linkage to treatment for hepatitis C infection for people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: With the advent of direct acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), the World Health Organization recommended a goal to eliminate HCV as a public health threat globally by 2030. With the majority of new and existing infections in high income countries occurring among people who inject drugs, achieving this goal will require the design and implementation of interventions which address the unique barriers to HCV care faced by this population.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched bibliographic databases and conference abstracts to July 21, 2020 for studies assessing interventions to improve the following study outcomes: HCV antibody testing, HCV RNA testing, linkage to care, and treatment initiation.

Optimising community health services in Australia for populations affected by stigmatised infections: What do service users want?

Stigma in health services undermines diagnosis, treatment and successful health outcomes for all communities, but especially for those affected by blood-borne viruses and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study sought to examine experiences in accessing and receiving health services, including what characteristics promoted better health, safety and well-being for people with blood-borne viruses or STIss. It conducted 46 in-depth interviews with people who inject drugs, gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, people in custodial settings, culturally and linguistically diverse people, Indigenous Australians and young people in one Australian urban community setting.

People engaged in opioid agonist treatment as a counterpublic during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: A qualitative study.

Introduction: People receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT) are at higher risk of comorbidities, poverty and discrimination, which Big Events like the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate. The behaviours of people receiving OAT do not always align with normative behaviours as conceived by ruling institutions and laws, and so the group becomes a counterpublic, not imagined in mainstream public discourse. The aim of this study was to understand how people receiving OAT, as a counterpublic, implemented practises of care to mitigate negative health outcomes during COVID-19.