142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Engaging primary care providers in a field assessment of a manual for communicating with patients about hepatitis C screening

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 5:06 PM - 5:24 PM

Gary Chovnick, DrPH, MPH , Health and Analytics, Battelle, Seattle, WA
Sue Pearce, M.Ed , Health and Analytics, Battelle, Seattle, WA
Kim Kimminau, Ph.D. , American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, with a prevalence of up to 4 million.  Since the majority of infected individuals do not know their infection status, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend a one-time HCV screening in adults born from1945 through1965, the birth cohort at highest risk of chronic HCV infection. 

Methods: To support the screening recommendations, CDC developed a manual to provide guidance for primary care clinicians on communicating with patients about HCV testing.  To determine the manual’s usefulness, nineteen clinicians in ten medical practices were recruited to use the manual when screening patients for Hepatitis C.  Clinicians participated in weekly check-ins and after four weeks provided detailed feedback on the manual and their experiences through in-depth telephone and in-person interviews.

Results: Findings from the field assessment will be presented.  Preliminary results suggest that clinicians found the manual useful for communicating with patients about Hepatitis C, though due to time constraints many respondents preferred an abbreviated resource over an in-depth counseling tool.  Clinicians reported that most patients were receptive to being screened for HCV when it was recommended to them, and often did not require extensive information.  Respondents also indicated that the additional time required to discuss Hepatitis C with patients was manageable.

Conclusions: Findings from the field assessment will be used by CDC to improve a communication tool designed to assist primary care clinicians in screening patients for Hepatitis C.

Learning Areas:

Clinical medicine applied in public health
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify the most current guidelines and recommendations for Hepatitis C screening. Describe how the field assessment engaged primary care providers in testing the utility of a Hepatitis C counseling and testing manual. List up to three aspects of the manual that clinicians found the most useful for communicating with patients about Hepatitis C screening.

Keyword(s): Hepatitis C, Screening Instruments

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been working in the field of public health for over fourteen years and have worked on numerous federally funded grants and contracts. My work has focused on HIV prevention, cancer prevention, viral hepatitis, and health communications. I have presented my work both domestically and internationally.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4455.0: Patient-Provider Communication (organized by HCWG)