Increasing the uptake of hepatitis C virus testing among injecting drug users in specialist drug treatment and prison settings by using dried blood spots for diagnostic testing: A cluster randomized controlled trial

Journal of Viral Hepatitis

Volumn 15, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 250-254

  Hickman, M ^a   McDonald, T ^b   Judd, Ali ^c   Nichols, T ^b   Hope, V ^b,d   Skidmore, S ^e   Parry, J V ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL   (United Kingdom)

^b PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND   (United Kingdom)

^c MRC CLINICAL TRIALS UNIT   (United Kingdom)

^d LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

^e PRINCESS ROYAL HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Antibody testing; Dried blood spot; Hepatitis C virus; Randomized controlled trial

Indexed keywords

ADULT; ALGORITHM; ARTICLE; CONTROLLED STUDY; DIAGNOSTIC TEST; DRUG USE; HEPATITIS C VIRUS; HUMAN; IMMUNOASSAY; INFECTION CONTROL; INJECTION; INJECTION SITE; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; OUTCOME ASSESSMENT; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PRISON; STUDENT T TEST; WILCOXON SIGNED RANKS TEST;

BLOOD; ENGLAND; HEPACIVIRUS; HEPATITIS C; HUMANS; MALE; MASS SCREENING; PRISONERS; RNA, VIRAL; SPECIMEN HANDLING; SUBSTANCE ABUSE, INTRAVENOUS; WALES;

EID: 40149083761     PISSN: 13520504     EISSN: 13652893     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2007.00937.x     Document Type: Article

References (12)

1. Agarwal K, Cross TJS, Gore C. Chronic hepatitis C. BMJ 2007 334 : 54 55.
2. Stein K, Dalziel K, Walker A et al. Screening for hepatitis C among injecting drug users and in genitourinary medicine clincs: systematic reviews of effectiveness, modelling study and national survey of current practice. Health Technol Assess 2002 6 (31 1 130.
3. Kamal S, Fouly AE, Kamel RR et al. Peginterferon alfa-2b therapy in acute hepatitis C: impact of onset of therapy on sustained virological response. Gastroenterology 2006 130 : 632 638.
4. Hepatitis C - Guidance for Those Working with Drug Users. London : Department of Health, 2001 (http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/ HealthAndSocialCareTopics/SubstanceMisuse/SubstanceMisuseGeneralInformation/ SubstanceMisuseGeneralArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4002312&chk=6lGkCi (accessed 22/01/07).
5. Hickman M, Hope V, Brady T et al. Hepatitis C (HCV) prevalence, and injecting risk behaviour in multiple sites in England in 2004. J Viral Hepatitis 2007 12 : 655 662.
6. Unlinked Anonymous Prevalence Monitoring Programme. Prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis Infections in the United Kingdom. Annual Report of the Unlinked Anonymous Prevalence Monitoring Programme. London : Health Protection Agency, 2006.
7. Judd A, Parry J, Hickman M et al. Evaluation of a modified commercial assay in detecting antibody to hepatitis C virus in oral fluids and dried blood spots. J Med Virol 2003 71 (1 49 55.
8. http://www.hepc.nhs.uk/pdf/HepC_Information.pdf (accessed 22/1/07).
9. Smith & Morrow. Field Trials of health interventions, 2nd edn. London : MacMillan Education Ltd, 1996.
10. Kerry SM, Bland M. Analysis of a trial randomised in clusters. BMJ 1998 316 : 54.
11. Bland M, Kerry SM. Weighted comparison of means. BMJ 1998 316 : 129.
12. Brant LJ, Hurrelle M, Balogun MA et al. Sentinel laboratory surveillance of hepatitis C antibody testing in England: understanding the epidemiology of HCV infection. Epidemiol Infect 2007 135 : 417 426.