Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;44(1):115-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2012.01.010. Epub 2012 Mar 8.

Assessment of methadone clinic staff attitudes toward hepatitis C evaluation and treatment

Andrew H Talal  1 , Rositsa B Dimova, Randy Seewald, Raymond H Peterson, Marija Zeremski, David C Perlman, Don C Des Jarlais
Affiliations

Assessment of methadone clinic staff attitudes toward hepatitis C evaluation and treatment

Andrew H Talal et al. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

We used a 25-item, self-administered questionnaire to assess staff's perceived barriers and willingness to engage in onsite treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) at the Beth Israel Medical Center methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP) at its Harlem sites. Of 80 participants, 50% were counselors and 24% were directly involved in referral or HCV testing. Although 92% of the MMTP staff indicated that they discuss HCV evaluation and treatment with patients at least annually, 70% believed that less than 25% of patients accept referral for HCV treatment and attend their initial appointment. Most staff (66%) supported onsite HCV evaluation and treatment, although support was higher among those with a bachelor's degree or higher (p = 0.046). Lack of infrastructure was perceived as the greatest obstacle to onsite treatment. Educational interventions and skill building for staff to confidently engage and support MMTP patients in HCV treatment may be necessary prerequisites for onsite HCV management in MMTPs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bini EJ, Kritz S, Brown LS, Jr, Robinson J, Alderson D, Rotrosen J. Barriers to providing health services for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C virus infection and sexually transmitted infections in substance abuse treatment programs in the United States. Journal of Addictive Diseases. 2011;30:98–109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown LS, Kritz S, Muhammad A, Bini EJ, Goldsmith RJ, Robinson J, et al. Disparities in health services for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C virus, and sexually transmitted infections: Role of substance abuse treatment programs. Journal of Addiction Medicine. 2009;3:95–102. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Davis GL, Alter MJ, El-Serag H, Poynard T, Jennings LW. Aging of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected persons in the United States: A multiple cohort model of HCV prevalence and disease progression. Gastroenterology. 2010;138:513–521. 521 e511–e516. - PubMed
    1. El-Serag H, Lok AS, Thomas DL. The dawn of a new era: Transforming our domestic response to hepatitis B & C. Gastroenterology. 2010;138:1225–1230. e1221–e1223. - PubMed
    1. Grebely J, Genoway KA, Raffa JD, Dhadwal G, Rajan T, Showler G, et al. Barriers associated with the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection among illicit drug users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2008;93:141–147. - PubMed

Publication types