On the way to Hepatitis C elimination in the Republic of Georgia-Barriers and facilitators for people who inject drugs for engaging in the treatment program: A formative qualitative study.

Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science

Disease Eradication* ; Qualitative Research*; Hepatitis C/*epidemiology ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous/*epidemiology; Adult ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Facilities and Services Utilization ; Female ; Georgia (Republic)/epidemiology ; Hepatitis C/economics ; Hepatitis C/prevention & control ; Hepatitis C/therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant public health concern worldwide. Georgia is among the countries with a high burden of HCV infection. People who inject drugs (PWID) have the highest burden of infection in Georgia. In 2015, the Government of Georgia, with partners' support, initiated one of the world's first Hepatitis C Elimination Programs. Despite notable progress, challenges to achieving targets persist. This qualitative study is aimed to better understand some of the barriers and facilitators to HCV testing and treatment services for PWID to inform HCV treatment policies and practices. The study instrument examined social, structural, and individual factors influencing HCV testing and treatment practices. We started with key informant interviews to guide the study instrument development and compare the study findings against health care planners' and health care providers' views. Forty PWID with various HCV testing and treatment experiences were recruited through the snowball method. The study found that along with structural factors such as political commitment, co-financing of diagnostic and monitoring tests, and friendly clinic environments, knowledge about HCV infection and elimination program benefits, and support from family and peers also play facilitating roles in accessing testing and treatment services. On the other hand, inability to co-pay for diagnostic tests, fear of side effects associated with treatment, poor knowledge about HCV infection, and lack of social support hampered testing and treatment practices among PWID. Findings from this study are important for increasing the effectiveness of this unique program that targets a population at high risk of HCV infection.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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P30 DA011041 United States DA NIDA NIH HHS

Dryad 10.5061/dryad.67g98n6

Date Created: 20190430 Date Completed: 20200108 Latest Revision: 20200309

20221213

PMC6488087

10.1371/journal.pone.0216123

31034530