Integrating hepatitis prevention services into a substance use disorder clinic.
The Healthy Liver Program, established at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center Substance Use Disorder Clinic, provides screening for exposure to hepatitis infections, a group education class, and an individual nursing appointment to review screening results, give vaccinations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B, and make referrals to the hepatitis clinic as appropriate. A patient chart audit was completed 11 months after the establishment of the Healthy Liver Program. The attendance rate for the educational group and individual feedback sessions was 66.9%, with 94.1% of attendees accepting recommended hepatitis A and/or hepatitis B vaccinations. All patients with chronic hepatitis C who attended the Healthy Liver Program received a referral for evaluation in the hepatitis clinic, as compared with only 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis C who were identified before the establishment of the program. The importance of providing comprehensive educational sessions and recommendations for how patients with substance use disorders can access hepatitis screening, vaccination, and treatment resources are stressed.
Hagedorn
Hildi
H
Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN 55417, USA. hildi.hagedorn@va.gov
Dieperink
Eric
E
Dingmann
Debra
D
Durfee
Janet
J
Ho
Samuel B
SB
Isenhart
Carl
C
Rettmann
Nancy
N
Willenbring
Mark
M
D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans