Hepatitis C-treated patients as a potential source for referral of new cases. / El paciente tratado de hepatitis C como fuente potencial de derivación de nuevos casos.

INTRODUCTION: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are an opportunity for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination. Strategies are needed to diagnose new patients and to attract those diagnosed without evaluation. Patients with other chronic viral diseases who receive satisfactory treatment promote referral of other patients for evaluation. Our aim was to evaluate whether patients who have been treated with DAAs would recommend follow-up and treatment to other patients as well as the characteristics that influence this decision. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two-hundred and 2HCV-infected patients treated with DAAs were included. Patients were asked about whether they knew other infected people and their willingness to share their experience. A general satisfaction survey and a specific HCV satisfaction survey were carried out. Demographic, socioeconomic and HCV infection variables were recorded. RESULTS: Despite the fact that 54.4% of the patients reported knowing others infected, 34.2% would not fully agree to share their experience. The analysis of general and specific satisfaction showed that patients who shared their experience mentioned a perception of greater care from the specialist (4.7±0.4 vs. 4.3±0.6, P=.001) and had more information on treatment expectations (4.6±0.5 vs. 4.0±0.7, P=.001) and social support (4.5±0.7 vs. 4.0±0.8, P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: The perception by treated patients of general satisfaction with the healthcare process and information about benefits influences the degree of recommendation to other infected people. Knowledge about treatment and perception of improvement in health of treated patients should be enhanced as it can contribute to increasing referrals to specialized consultation.

El paciente tratado de hepatitis C como fuente potencial de derivación de nuevos casos / Hepatitis C-treated patients as a potential source for referral of new cases

Introducción: Los antivirales de acción directa (AAD) representan una oportunidad para la eliminación del virus de la hepatitis C (VHC) por su simplicidad. No obstante, se precisan estrategias dirigidas a diagnosticar nuevos pacientes y a atraer diagnosticados sin evaluación. En este sentido, los pacientes con otras enfermedades virales crónicas que reciben un trato satisfactorio promueven la derivación a consulta de otros pacientes. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar en qué grado los pacientes que han sido tratados con AAD recomendarían seguimiento y tratamiento a otros pacientes, así como las características de los pacientes que influyen en esta decisión. Pacientes y métodos: Se incluyó a 202 pacientes infectados por VHC tratados con AAD. Se les preguntó sobre conocimiento de otros infectados y deseos de compartir su experiencia, y se realizó encuesta de satisfacción general (cuestionario Baker) y específica de VHC (cuestionario HCVTSat). Además, se registraron variables demográficas, socioeconómicas y de la infección por VHC. Resultados: A pesar de que el 54,4% de los pacientes refería conocer a otros afectados, un 34,2% no estaría totalmente de acuerdo en compartir su experiencia global en consulta. El análisis de satisfacción general y específica mostró que los pacientes que compartirían su experiencia referían una percepción de mayor atención por parte del especialista (4,7±0,4 vs. 4,3±0,6, p=0,001), tenían más información sobre el tratamiento (4,6±0,5 vs. 4,0±0,7, p=0,001) y mayor apoyo social (4,5±0,7 vs. 4,0±0,8, p=0,001). Conclusiones: La percepción por parte del paciente tratado sobre satisfacción general del proceso de atención sanitaria e información de beneficios influye en el grado de recomendación a otros infectados. Se debe prestar atención y mejorar el conocimiento del tratamiento y la percepción de mejora en salud de los pacientes tratados, ya que puede contribuir a aumentar las derivaciones a consulta especializada.(AU)

Introduction: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are an opportunity for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination. Strategies are needed to diagnose new patients and to attract those diagnosed without evaluation. Patients with other chronic viral diseases who receive satisfactory treatment promote referral of other patients for evaluation. Our aim was to evaluate whether patients who have been treated with DAAs would recommend follow-up and treatment to other patients as well as the characteristics that influence this decision. Patients and methods: Two-hundred and 2HCV-infected patients treated with DAAs were included. Patients were asked about whether they knew other infected people and their willingness to share their experience. A general satisfaction survey and a specific HCV satisfaction survey were carried out. Demographic, socioeconomic and HCV infection variables were recorded. Results: Despite the fact that 54.4% of the patients reported knowing others infected, 34.2% would not fully agree to share their experience. The analysis of general and specific satisfaction showed that patients who shared their experience mentioned a perception of greater care from the specialist (4.7±0.4 vs. 4.3±0.6, P=.001) and had more information on treatment expectations (4.6±0.5 vs. 4.0±0.7, P=.001) and social support (4.5±0.7 vs. 4.0±0.8, P=.001). Conclusions: The perception by treated patients of general satisfaction with the healthcare process and information about benefits influences the degree of recommendation to other infected people. Knowledge about treatment and perception of improvement in health of treated patients should be enhanced as it can contribute to increasing referrals to specialized consultation.(AU)