Hepatitis C services at harm reduction centres in the European Union: a 28-country survey.
BACKGROUND
In the context of the WHO's 2016 Viral Hepatitis Strategy and the introduction of treatment that can cure more than 95% of cases with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the European Joint Action on HIV and Co-infection Prevention and Harm Reduction (HA-REACT) undertook a study in the member states of the European Union (EU). It aimed to determine service providers' understanding of the current services in their respective countries and the barriers experienced by PWID in accessing HCV testing, care and treatment services in their country.


METHODS
In 2017, 38 purposively selected harm reduction service providers completed a 26-item English-language online survey addressing the availability, accessibility and funding of HCV services at harm reduction centres. HCV-related data and reported findings were extracted by country or by responding organization.


RESULTS
Responses were received from all EU member states. Respondents from 23 countries reported that HCV tests are offered by harm reduction services in their countries, and eight countries reported that addiction specialists in their countries are able to prescribe HCV therapy. Almost half of the respondents (45%) said that their respective organizations had established referral systems with centres providing HCV treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Not all EU member states have harm reduction services that provide HCV tests, and many do not have established referral systems with treatment providers. Moreover, the inability of addiction specialists to prescribe HCV treatment points to missed opportunities to make treatment more accessible. Further, discrepancies were noted between the available HCV services and stakeholders' knowledge about their availability.
['Pericàs|Juan M|JM|', 'Bromberg|Daniel J|DJ|', 'Ocampo|Denise|D|', 'Schatz|Eberhard|E|', 'Wawer|Iwona|I|', 'Wysocki|Piotr|P|', 'Safreed-Harmon|Kelly|K|', 'Lazarus|Jeffrey V|JV|0000-0001-9618-2299']
D000998:Antiviral Agents D005062:European Union D040261:Harm Reduction D006297:Health Services Accessibility D006526:Hepatitis C D006801:Humans D012017:Referral and Consultation D019966:Substance-Related Disorders D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Hepatitis C European Union Survey Cascade of care Direct-acting antivirals