Hepatitis C treatment outcomes in prison versus community settings

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Comparison of Hepatitis C treatment outcomes among prison- and community-based patients; a matched analysis.

• IRAS ID

  147768

• Contact name

  Esther J Aspinall

• Contact email

  esther.aspinall@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  National Services Scotland

• Research summary

  Approximately 50,000 persons in Scotland have been infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), of which around 90% acquired their virus through injecting drug use. It is estimated that 19% of Scotland’s prison inmates are infected with HCV. A key action in the recent Scottish Government HCV Action Plan was to increase the number of persons, including prisoners, undergoing therapy for HCV in Scotland.
  
  Successful completion of HCV therapy requires close monitoring for a period of up to 18 months, and as a result, prison is often considered to be an ideal setting in which to deliver treatment. However, clinicians have raised concerns regarding prison transfer and/or release while on treatment, and its potential impact on treatment outcomes.

  The aim of this study is to compare HCV treatment outcomes among prison- and community-based patients, and also to investigate factors associated with successful treatment outcomes among prison-based patients.

  The study will be conducted in two parts:
  Part 1 will use data from the existing Scottish HCV Clinical database to compare treatment outcomes between patients who commenced their HCV treatment in prison, and patients who commenced their treatment in the community.

  Part 2 will involve collecting additional data from cases notes of patients who commenced their HCV treatment in prison. This data will include: whether prison-based patients were transferred or released during treatment, whether they continued HCV treatment after transfer or release, and what were the outcomes of that treatment.

  The results of this study will be disseminated to National Viral Hepatitis Managed Care Networks, Scottish HCV clinics, and the Scottish Prison Service. A summary of the report will be submitted for peer-review publication. Findings will be used to inform service design and delivery to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.

• REC name

  South East Scotland REC 01

• REC reference

  14/SS/1019

• Date of REC Opinion

  29 Aug 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Unfavourable Opinion