ArticleBMJ open2023
The eliminate hepatitis C (EC) experience study: baseline characteristics of a cohort of people who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use on vaccine acceptance, uptake, and adherence: a systematic review.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2024Pooled it
- Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Hepatitis C in Clients on Opioid Agonist Therapy in Community Pharmacies Compared to Primary Healthcare in Australia.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2025Article
- Synergistic interaction between pay-it-forward incentives and recreational drug use on hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus testing among men who have sex with men in China.Sexually transmitted infections · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesDirect-acting antivirals provide an opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat in Australia, yet barriers to care remain. In this study, we use baseline data from a longitudinal cohort of people who inject drugs to understand differences in participant characteristics and explore experiences of stigma, health service utilisation and health literacy between three care cascade groups.
designCross-sectional.
settingCommunity and private primary healthcare services in Melbourne, Australia.
participantsParticipants completed baseline surveys between 19 September 2018 and 15 December 2020. We recruited 288 participants; the median age was 42 years (IQR: 37-49 years) and 198 (69%) were male. At baseline, 103 (36%) self-reported being 'not engaged in testing', 127 (44%) had HCV RNA positivity but were 'not engaged in treatment' and 58 (20%) were 'engaged in HCV treatment'. OUTCOME MEASURES: Descriptive statistics were used to present the baseline demographics, health service utilisation and experiences of stigma data. We explored differences in these scales between participant demographics using χ
resultsA majority were in regular contact with multiple health services, and most had previously been identified as at-risk of HCV. In the 12 months preceding baseline, 70% reported any experiences of stigma related to injecting drug use. Assessment of health literacy data identified gaps for those 'not engaged in testing' and 'not engaged in treatment' across two relevant domains: 'ability to appraise health information' and 'ability to actively engage with healthcare providers'.
conclusionIn eliminate hepatitis C experience, lower HCV testing and treatment may be explained by experiences of stigmatisation or gaps in health literacy. Enhanced interventions targeting people who inject drugs to promote HCV care are needed.
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Registered trials
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