Factors associated with experiencing stigma, discrimination, and negative health care treatment among people who inject drugs.

Introduction: Stigma has negative consequences for the health of people who inject drugs and people living with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study evaluated factors associated with stigma related to injecting drug use (IDU) or HCV and those associated with being treated negatively by health workers.

Methods: ETHOS Engage is an observational cohort study of people who inject drugs attending drug treatment clinics and needle and syringe programs in Australia.

Testing, diagnosis, and treatment following the implementation of a program to provide dried blood spot testing for HIV and hepatitis C infections: the NSW DBS Pilot.

Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing provides an alternative to phlebotomy and addresses barriers to accessing healthcare experienced by some key populations. Large-scale evaluations of DBS testing programs are needed to understand their feasibility. This study evaluated the implementation of a state-wide DBS HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing pilot.

Hepatitis C Treatment Uptake Following Dried Blood Spot Testing for Hepatitis C RNA in New South Wales, Australia: The NSW DBS Pilot Study.

Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA provides a sampling option that avoids venepuncture and can be carried out in a nonclinical setting. Large-scale evaluations are needed to understand how DBS testing can reduce HCV burden. This study estimated prevalence of, and factors associated with, HCV RNA and treatment initiation among people enrolled in a state-wide pilot of people testing in the NSW DBS Pilot in New South Wales, Australia.

Evaluating a complex health promotion program to reduce hepatitis C among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in New South Wales, Australia: the Deadly Liver Mob.

The Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) is a peer-delivered incentivised health promotion program by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and was introduced in response to the disproportionate number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are impacted by blood borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The goal of the program is to increase access to BBV and STI education, screening, treatment, and vaccination in recognition and response to the systemic barriers that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face in accessing health care. This commentary introduces a series of papers that report on various aspects of the evaluation of the Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) program.

Increasing access to screening for blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: evaluation of the Deadly Liver Mob program's 'cascade of care' across nine sites in New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are disproportionately impacted by blood-borne viruses (BBVs) and sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Stigma remains one of the key barriers to testing and treatment for BBVs and STIs, particularly among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Deadly Liver Mob (DLM) is a peer-delivered incentivised health promotion program by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Declining prevalence of current HCV infection and increased treatment uptake among people who inject drugs: The ETHOS Engage study.

Background: Evaluating trends in HCV treatment and prevalence is crucial for monitoring elimination. We evaluated the change in current infection and treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID) between 2018-2019 and 2019-2021.

Methods: ETHOS Engage is an observational cohort study of PWID attending drug treatment clinics and needle and syringe programs in Australia.