Publications by authors named "Chloe Layton"
Article Synopsis
- Prisons in Victoria, Australia, have implemented a statewide nurse-led model of care since 2015 to enhance hepatitis C testing and treatment among inmates, crucial for elimination efforts.
- From 2015 to 2021, 3,133 DAA treatment courses were prescribed to 2,768 inmates, with a significant increase in prescriptions over the years and a median age of treated individuals being 39.
- The program achieved a 93% success rate in sustained viral response (SVR12), demonstrating the effectiveness of decentralized, nurse-led initiatives in tackling hepatitis C in high-prevalence settings like prisons.
Objectives: Direct-acting antivirals provide an opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a public health threat in Australia, yet barriers to care remain. In this study, we use baseline data from a longitudinal cohort of people who inject drugs to understand differences in participant characteristics and explore experiences of stigma, health service utilisation and health literacy between three care cascade groups.
Design: Cross-sectional.
Article Synopsis
- Point-of-care (POC) diagnostics can help people who inject drugs access hepatitis C (HCV) testing more easily, particularly through needle and syringe exchange programs (NSPs).
- In a pilot study, 70 participants tested positive for HCV RNA, with 63% prescribed direct-acting antivirals (DAAs); of those, 59% completed the treatment and 34% achieved a cure.
- Factors like being over 40 years old and having a secondary school education increased the likelihood of receiving treatment, while homelessness had a negative impact; overall, POC testing reduced the time from diagnosis to treatment.
Introduction: The advent of direct acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) means the elimination of HCV is possible but requires sustained effort to achieve. Between 2016 and 2019, 44% of those living with HCV were treated in Australia. However, treatment uptake has declined significantly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFinancial incentives may reduce opportunity costs associated with people who become lost to follow-up in hepatitis C treatment programs. We estimated the impact that different financial incentive amounts would need to have on retention in care to maintain the same unit cost per (1) RNA-positive person completing testing (defined as awareness of RNA status) and (2) RNA diagnosed person initiating treatment. Costing data were obtained from a 2019 community-based testing campaign focused on engaging people who inject drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: At least 160,000 Australians are living with hepatitis C (HCV), many of whom are people who inject drugs and access needle and syringe programs (NSP). Secondary NSPs provide injecting equipment via health services that are not dedicated to the provision of services to people who inject drugs; these sites could be a suitable space to increase engagement of people who inject drugs in HCV treatment. Drawing on data from a pilot study exploring the potential of upscaling linkage to HCV care in secondary NSPs, the aim of this research was to explore barriers and enablers to HCV treatment for clients who use these services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Achieving hepatitis C elimination requires novel approaches to engage people at highest risk of infection into care pathways. Point-of-care-tests may help to overcome some of the barriers preventing people who inject drugs (PWID) accessing testing and progressing to treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV). We assessed the feasibility and acceptability of HCV point-of-care testing at needle and syringe exchange programs (NSPs) co-located in three community health clinics in Melbourne, Australia.
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