Hepatitis C among drug users: consensus guidelines on management in general practice.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C (HCV) is a common cause of morbidity among patients who attend general practitioners (GPs) in Ireland for methadone maintenance treatment.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the development and content of guidelines for the management of HCV among current or former opiate users in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area attending GPs for methadone treatment.


METHODS
The guidelines were produced in five stages: identification of key stakeholders; development of evidence-based draft guidelines; discussion of content; determination of 'Delphi'-facilitated consensus and review by a sample of GPs for whom the guidelines would be intended.


RESULTS
The guidelines contain advice for GPs on all aspects of care of patients at risk of HCV, including general and preventative care, care of other bloodborne and hepatotoxic viruses, and the factors to be considered and appropriate evaluation prior to referring a patient for assessment at a hepatology unit.


CONCLUSIONS
GPs have an important role to play in the care of patients at risk of, or infected with, HCV.
Barry
J
J
Eastern Regional Health Authority.
Bourke
M
M
Buckley
M
M
Coughlan
B
B
Crowley
D
D
Cullen
W
W
Dooley
S
S
Keating
S
S
Kelleher
D
D
Moloney
J
J
Murray
F
F
McCormick
P A
PA
MacMathuna
P
P
O'Connor
J
J
O'Grady
J
J
O'Sullivan
C
C
O'Sullivan
P
P
Quinn
C
C
Smyth
B
B
Sweeney
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D015996:Survival Rate