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Abstract Details
Use of telehealth to increase treatment access for prisoners with chronic hepatitis C
Intern Med J. 2021 Aug;51(8):1344-1347. doi: 10.1111/imj.15451.
Abir Halder1, Vicky Guizhi Li1, Marilyn Sebastian1, Saroja Nazareth1, Rhoda Tuma1, Wendy Cheng1, Adam Doyle1
Author information
1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Abstract
Prisons remain a priority population in the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) in Australia. To improve treatment uptake, we created a novel telehealth-based model of care for prisoners with HCV that is both cost-effective and requires minimal infrastructure. Over a period of 30 months, a total of 332 patients was initiated on treatment, achieving a per protocol sustained virological response (SVR12) rate of 91%. A large number (29%) of patients was lost to follow up after release from prison - highlighting the vital opportunity for HCV treatment during incarceration. We propose that similar models of care can be used to improve HCV treatment access for other priority populations in Australia.