%0 Journal Article
%A Avramovic, Gordana
%A Reilly, Maeve
%A Cullen, Walter
%A Macías, Juan
%A McCombe, Geoff
%A McHugh, Tina
%A Oprea, Cristiana
%A Story, Alistair
%A Surey, Julian
%A Sabin, Caroline
%A Bivegete, Sandra
%A Vickerman, Peter
%A Walker, Josephine
%A Ward, Zoe
%A Lambert, John S
%T HEPCARE EUROPE- A case study of a service innovation project aiming at improving the elimination of HCV in vulnerable populations in four European cities.
%D 2020
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10668/16343
%X Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is a significant cause of chronic liver disease. Among at-risk populations, access to diagnosis and treatment is challenging. We describe an integrated model of care, Hepcare Europe, developed to address this challenge. Using a case-study approach, we describe the cascade of care outcomes at all sites. Cost analyses estimated the cost per person screened and linked to care. A total of 2608 participants were recruited across 218 clinical sites. HCV antibody test results were obtained for 2568(98•5%); 1074(41•8%) were antibody-positive, 687(60•5%) tested positive for HCV-RNA, 650(60•5%) were linked to care, and 319(43•5%) started treatment. 196(61•4%) of treatment initiates achieved a Sustained Viral Response (SVR) at dataset closure, 108(33•9%) were still on treatment, eight (2•7%) defaulted from treatment, and seven (2•6%) had virologic failure or died. The cost per person screened varied from €194 to €635, while the cost per person linked to care varied from €364 to €2035. Hepcare enhanced access to HCV treatment and cure, and costs were affordable in all settings, offering a framework for scale-up and reproducibility.
%K Cascade of care
%K HCV elimination
%K Hepatitis C
%K Integrated HCV care
%K People who inject drugs (PWID)
%K System of care
%K Vulnerable populations
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