Trial reportSingapore medical journal2022
Point-of-care hepatitis C screening with direct access referral to improve linkage to care among halfway house residents: a pilot randomised study.
Trial report in Singapore medical journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Real-World Impact of a Simplified 'Test and Treat' Strategy for In-Hospital HCV Micro-Elimination.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2026Article
- A scoping review on HCV screening strategies: population to screen and the test types.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Status of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C elimination in Singapore: a call for action.Singapore medical journal · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitude and Factors associated with Self-efficacy in Screening and Treatment of Hepatitis C among Primary Care Doctors in Selangor.Malaysian family physician : the official journal of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia · 2024Article
- Efficacy of a comprehensive strategy for the detection and treatment of hepatitis C infection in a population attending addiction centers.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Peer support in small towns: A decentralized mobile Hepatitis C virus clinic for people who inject drugs.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2022Article
- The impact of unrestricted access to direct-acting antiviral among incarcerated hepatitis C virus-infected patients.Clinical and molecular hepatology · 2021Article
- Hepatitis C elimination among people incarcerated in prisons: challenges and recommendations for action within a health systems framework.The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2021Review
- What is required for achieving hepatitis C virus elimination in Singapore? A modeling study.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLinkage to care among individuals with substance misuse remains a barrier to the elimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aimed to determine whether point-of-care (PoC) education, screening and staging for liver disease with direct access to hospitals would improve linkage to care among this group.
methodsAll participants were offered PoC education and HCV screening. HCV-positive participants were randomised to standard care (controls) or direct access, which provided a direct pathway to hospitals. Linkage to care was determined by reviewing electronic medical records. Linkage of care cascade was defined as attendance at the specialist clinic, confirmation of viraemia by HCV RNA testing, discussion about HCV treatment and initiation of treatment.
results351 halfway house residents were screened. The overall HCV prevalence was 30.5% (n = 107), with 69 residents in the control group and 38 in the direct access group. The direct access group had a significantly higher percentage of cases linked to specialist review for confirmatory RNA testing (63.2% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.025), HCV treatment discussion (p = 0.009) and treatment initiation (p = 0.01) compared to the controls. Overall, only 12.6% (n = 13) had treatment initiation during follow-up. PoC HCV screening with direct access referral had significantly higher linkage to HCV treatment initiation (adjusted odds ratio 9.13, p = 0.005) in multivariate analysis.
conclusionPoC HCV screening with direct access improves linkage to care and simplifies the HCV care cascade, leading to improved treatment uptake. PoC education, screening, diagnosis and treatment may be an effective strategy to achieving HCV micro-elimination in this population.
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