Skip to main content

Table 6 Integrated screening programs in psychiatric clinics

From: Outcomes of hepatitis C screening programs targeted at risk groups hidden in the general population: a systematic review

Program characteristics

Program outcomes

First author, year of publication

Calendar year of data collection

Population

Country and HCV prevalence according to CDC[23]

Setting of screening

Duration of screening program

Other tests

Prescreening selection

Media activities

Screening uptake and anti-HCV prevalence (95% CI)

Risk profile of identified HCV cases/Risk factors associated with HCV

Follow-up of HCV-infected individuals

Freudenreich, O, 2007 [89]

2003-2004

Psychiatric patients (most schizophrenia)

USA (1.9%): Boston

Clozapine outpatient clinic (psychiatric patients)

4 months

None

No

NR

Scr. uptake: 100% (98/98)

Most common risk factors: - Polysubstance abuse

All patients were referred to a specialist; after two years, none had started treatment. One patient became unstable psychologically after the discovery of his infection.

Prevalence: 8.2% (8/98; 95% CI: 4.2-15.3) (incl the one known before)*

Outcomes: RNA rate: 50.0% (4/8)

Start treatment: 0% (0/8)

SVR: -

Gunewardene, R, 2010 [90]

NR

Psychiatric patients

Australia (2%): in a capital city

Acute psychiatric inpatient unit within an Area Health service in Australia. Comparison of two strategies.

6 months

None

Unit A: No;

Unit B: Yes (IDU, exposure to contaminated blood products)

NR

Scr. uptake: Unit A: 79.8% (95/119)

Unit B: 90.0% (36/40)

Prevalence: Unit A: 3.2% (3/95; 95% CI: 1.1-8.9);

Most common risk factors: - History of IDU

All patients were offered post-test counseling and were referred to a specialist (no results reported).

Outcomes: RNA rate: NR

Start treatment: NR

SVR: NR

Lacey, C, 2007 [91]

2002-2003

Psychiatric patients

Australia (2%): Melbourne, Victoria

Inner city public hospital (psychiatric)

6 months

None

Yes; Patients admitted with psychotic or affective disorders, >18 yrs, inpatient stay >2 days, and did not have known HCV infection

Yes

Scr. uptake: 20.5% (71/346)

Prevalence: 19.7% (14/71; 95% CI: 12.1-30.4)*

Most common risk factors:

- History of IDU

- Sharing injection equipment

All positive patients received post-test counseling and were referred to a specialist (no results reported).

Outcomes: RNA rate: NR

Start treatment: NR

SVR: NR

  1. Note: CI = confidence interval; NR = not reported; IDU = injecting drug use; HCV = hepatitis C virus; SVR = sustained virological response.
  2. *HCV-antibody prevalence is considered suboptimal (data were collected before 1994 when sensitivity/specificity of tests was not optimal, or reactive HCV-antibody test results were not confirmed by immunoblot).
  3. **The reliability of the reported HCV-antibody prevalence is undecided (data were collected after 1993, but the diagnostic tests are unspecified, or other than described below (see ***), or dried blood spots or oral fluid samples were used).
  4. ***HCV-antibody prevalence is considered valid; data were collected after 1993, and reactive HCV-antibody test results were confirmed by second or higher generation immunoblot assays from Ortho, Chiron, Novartis (RIBA), Innogenetics (LiaTek), Pasteur (DECISCAN HCV), Genelabs Diagnostics (HCV BLOT), or Mikrogen (recomBlot HCV IgG 2.0).
Back to article page

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

Contact us