Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41742143›Full record

Trial reportHarm reduction journal2026

Convenience, rapport and skill: effective rural hepatitis C treatment, qualitative findings from a mobile harm reduction-informed tele-medicine intervention in Northern New England, 2022-2024.

K Nolte, L Del Toro-Mejias, E Bianchet, S Tarplin, R Hoskinson, P D Friedmann, T J Stopka

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Harm reduction journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05466331 (Drug Injection Surveillance and Care Enhancement for Rural Northern New England), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT05466331 naunknown statusnot on this map

Drug Injection Surveillance and Care Enhancement for Rural Northern New England (UH3)

TypeinterventionalSponsorBaystate Medical CenterRan2022 to 2024Enrolled220ConditionsHepatitis C, Opioid Use Disorder, IV Drug UsageArmsMobile Tele-HCV Care, Enhanced Usual Care
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

K NolteSchool of Nursing, College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA. Kerry.Nolte@unh.edu.
L Del Toro-MejiasBaystate Office of Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA, USA.
E BianchetBaystate Office of Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA, USA.
S TarplinBaystate Office of Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA, USA.
R HoskinsonBaystate Office of Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA, USA.
P D FriedmannBaystate Office of Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Springfield, MA, USA.
T J StopkaDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

Drug Injection Surveillance and Care Enhancement for Rural Northern New England (DISCERNNE)UH3DA044830 · NIDA · BAYSTATE MEDICAL CENTER, INC. · PI FRIEDMANN, PETER D, STOPKA, THOMAS J · 2019 to 2022
$3.9M
Appalachian Regional Commission UH3DA044830CDC HHS UH3DA044830NIDA NIH HHS UH3DA044830
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPeople who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for acquiring and transmitting the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Access to HCV testing and treatment remains limited in rural communities. Mobile healthcare interventions are promising models to reach underserved populations like rural PWID. Understanding the characteristics of effective interventions to engage rural PWID in HCV care can guide design strategies for HCV treatment and elimination in rural areas.

methodsThe Drug Injection Surveillance and Care Enhancement for Rural Northern New England (DISCERNNE) study randomized 150 participants with chronic HCV to examine Mobile Tele-HCV Care (MTC) versus Enhanced Usual Care (EUC). On-the-spot qualitative interviews (n = 34) were conducted with study participants, community providers, and study van staff to understand the context for protocol implementation. For this study, qualitative coding and thematic analyses identified the characteristics of successful HCV treatment engagement among PWID in rural areas.

resultsThis successful HCV treatment engagement intervention with out-of-treatment rural PWID had three essential characteristics: convenience, effective rapport, and skilled staff. Convenience factors included dependable and easily accessible locations with drop-in availability that made it easy to make HCV treatment a priority. Rapport with participants through a harm reduction approach engendered respect for autonomy and tailoring the protocol to accommodate the complexities of daily life that PWID face. Skilled staff were flexible across multiple roles including on-site phlebotomy, a notable barrier to rural PWID obtaining HCV treatment, and were competent in caring for PWID.

conclusionsWe identified salient characteristics that contributed to high trust and treatment adherence among a marginalized population of rural PWIDs. Tailored, flexible approaches and specialized skills are required to engage and retain PWID in rural areas.

trial registrationNCT05466331.

Indexed as

Harm ReductionHepatitis CHepatitis C, ChronicSubstance Abuse, IntravenousAdherence InterventionsAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew EnglandPatient Acceptance of Health CareQualitative ResearchRural Health ServicesRural PopulationTelemedicineHarm reductionHepatitis C virusInjection drug useRural healthTele-medicine

Identifiers

PMID41742143
PMCPMC13041415

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.