Organizational culture as barriers to Hepatitis C treatment delivery

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Organizational culture as barriers to Hepatitis C treatment delivery

Perceptions of Hep C treatment in opiate substitution treatment

The latest issue of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis investigates perceptions of clients and health professionals and hepatitis C treatment in opiate substitution treatment.Uptake of treatment for hepatitis C virus infection is very low particularly among people who have injected drugs.

Opiate substitution treatment programs, with a high prevalence of people living with hepatitis C, have been a site of growing interest in the delivery of hepatitis C treatment.There has been no exploration of OST clients’ and health professionals’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to uptake and delivery of Hepatitis C treatment in OST clinics from personal and organizational perspectives.

Organizational culture as barriers to Hepatitis C treatment deliveryJournal of Viral Hepatitis

Dr Treloar and colleagues from Australia completed a qualitative study involving interviews with 27 opiate substitution treatment clients in New South Wales, and a focus group and interviews with 22 Australian opiate substitution treatment health professionals.Clients and health professionals viewed hepatitis C treatment in opiate substitution treatment as a ‘one-stop-shop’ model which could increase access to and uptake of treatment and build on existing relationships of trust between opiate substitution treatment client and health professional.

The research team noted elements of the organizational culture as barriers to Hepatitis C treatment delivery.

The team found that confidentiality, lack of discussion of hepatitis C treatment and that hepatitis C treatment was not perceived by clinicians as a legitimate activity of opiate substitution treatment clinics.

Opiate substitution treatment client participants also reported a number of personal barriers to engaging with Hepatitis C treatment including family responsibilities, unstable housing, comorbidities and perceptions of the unsatisfactory level of treatment efficacy.Dr Treloar's team concludes, "These findings emphasize the need for future research and delivery of services which addresses the complexity of care and treatment for people in marginalized social circumstances."

J Viral Hep 2010: 17(12): 839–44

01 December 2010

Uptake and delivery of hepatitis C treatment in opiate substitution treatment: perceptions of clients and health professionals (pages 839–844)C. Treloar, J. Newland, J. Rance and M. HopwoodArticle first published online: 10 NOV 2010 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2009.01250.xAbstract

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