HCV RNA Point-of-Care Testing Increases Treatment Uptake Among Patients In Mental Health, Prison, And Drug And Alcohol Facilities, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (5/16, Barowski) reports, “The implementation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody and RNA point-of-care (POC) testing increases testing rates, treatment uptake, and linkage to care among patients in mental health, prison, and drug and alcohol facilities, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “of the 55 patients who tested positive for HCV RNA, 91% were linked to care and 86% initiated treatment. The median time from referral to treatment initiation was 14 days.”