Hepatitis C virus services offered by substance abuse treatment programs in the U.S.

This poster describes the rationale, objectives, procedures, and outcomes of one facet of protocol CTN-0012 (“Characteristics of Screening, Evaluation, and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C Viral Infections, and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs”). The protocol examined the associations between HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C (HCV), and sexually transmitted infection (STI)-related services provided by substance abuse treatment programs in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network (NIDA CTN), and the states within which they are located.

The poster focuses specifically on the availability of Hepatitis C virus services (including medical history/physical exam; biological testing; patient treatment, monitoring, and education; provider education; patient risk assessment; and patient counseling) offered by substance abuse treatment programs, as well as the determination of whether HCV-related health services differ between programs that do and do not have clear guidelines for hepatitis testing, and methadone and non-methadone programs. The study used a cross-sectional survey sent to 319 treatment program administrators in the CTN; 269 administrators (84.3%) replied to the survey, representing a geographically diverse location from across the US. Despite the importance of substance abuse in sustaining the HCV epidemic in the U.S., the data shows that many substance abuse treatment programs do not offer comprehensive HCV-related services. Public health interventions to improve access to hepatitis testing, treatment, and prevention for substance abusers are needed.

Related protocols: CTN-0012