2019 Evaluation Report on the “Montpellier Without Hepatitis C” Program

Introduction: An innovative program involving numerous partners (hospitals, private practitioners, nonprofit organizations, and institutions) was developed to implement a universal screening campaign for individuals who may have been infected with HCV in the city of Montpellier over a three-month period, from mid-September to mid-December 2019, at various sites within the same clinical laboratory (LBM). The objective of this report is to present the screening campaign and provide quantitative evaluation data. Methods: The study population consisted of: i) Individuals who presented directly at the LBM in Montpellier during the defined period, without a prescription and at no cost; ii) individuals for whom a risk of HCV infection had been identified by a physician, who then prescribed screening. A questionnaire identifying risk factors was administered at the time of sample collection. Results: Over the 13-week screening period, 10,143 screening tests were performed, 8.7% of which were conducted on patients without a prescription. There was a 22% increase in the number of tests performed compared to the same period in 2018. The seropositivity rate was 0.89% (90 positive serology results), compared to 1.12% (N=95) in 2018. In total, 9 patients tested positive for HIV and received care. The questionnaire response rate was 57%, and the main risk factors were various high-risk behaviors (33%) and medical procedures (33%). Although the majority of those screened were unaware of the screening campaign, most of those who came without a prescription had learned about the campaign through the media and healthcare professionals, including community-based organizations, highlighting the importance of proactive outreach. Conclusion: This screening campaign model is innovative and could be replicated for other health issues. Although the evaluation did not demonstrate an improvement in the detection of new cases, it highlighted the value of a multi-partner collaboration combining screening and patient care.

Author(s): Guinard Anne, Riondel Adeline, Six Caroline, Mouly Damien

Publishing year: 2021

Pages: 44 p.

Collection: Studies and Surveys

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