Supportive Interventions During Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT

There are an estimated 3 million people living with chronic hepatitis C, yet many have limited access to healthcare and treatment due to a variety of behavioral/lifestyle determinants of health. The aim of this literature review was to examine care models and innovations for people successfully treated from 2011 to 2018. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL to identify care models for people undergoing treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Ten articles met criteria for inclusion and included multiple types of care models, including nurse initiated (n = 2), telemedicine care (n = 3), group visit (n = 1), concurrent treatment (n = 1), community health center care (n = 1), and integrated care (n = 2). Eight of the studies focused on people with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorder. Sustained virological response was the primary outcome of all studies; adherence was a secondary outcome measured in 8 studies.This search occurred during a period where treatment moved from interferon-based therapy to all-oral direct-acting antiviral medications, representing a paradigm shift in treatment of chronic hepatitis C. As new treatments offer cure for up to 95% of patients, these studies provided strong evidence of benefit for innovative care models for patients with mental health and substance use disorder to complete treatment.