Background
Patient and provider hepatitis C (HCV)-related knowledge gaps, present at every point on the HCV illness and care journey, are associated with lower care engagement.[1,2]
Education is key for increased service uptake, especially since new treatments have >95% cure rates and can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality associated with chronic HCV infection.[3]
Education needs-assessment
A survey was recently conducted with health and social care providers in British Columbia to determine their demand for education on specific HCV topics.
The survey asked:
- Occupation and HCV-related experience
- Desired HCV course topics, and
- HCV knowledge (5 questions)
Analyses included frequencies, Analysis of Variance and post-hoc tests to assess differences in education needs and knowledge scores by occupation, and HCV testing and treatment experience.
Needs assessment outcomes
Of 301 respondents, 86% were nurses, 13% ‘other’ and 1% physicians.
While there were some differences in topic selection according to occupation, demand was high across all topics regardless of experience.
- 81-91% participants requested HCV pathophysiology education,
- >86% requested risk factors and testing education,
- 68-85% requested education on detailed workflow on testing, and
- 71-89% requested education on HCV management, including prevention, treatment and referral process.
Primary care nurses tended to select fewer topics than public and community health nurses. Public and community health nurses were significantly more likely than primary care nurses to request epidemiology and prevention/harm reduction topics (P
Implications for practice
Results from the survey confirm the need for education across all nursing fields. The mean knowledge score across all occupation groups was 34% (n=258).
For more information about hepatitis C, visit Hepatitis Education Canada and check out Hepatitis C: The Basics, a free, online education course.
References
- Butt G, McGuinness L, Buller-Taylor T, Mitchell S. Reasons for Nonattendance across the Hepatitis C Disease Course. ISRN Nursing. 2013;2013:579529 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786544/
- CATIE. Room for improvement: Knowledge exchange needs of people living with hepatitis C Ontario: 2015
- Naghdi R, Seto K, Klassen C, Emokpare D, Conway B, Kelley M, et al. A Hepatitis C Educational Needs Assessment of Canadian Healthcare Providers. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2017;2017:10.