A Vermont Statewide Educational Intervention to Improve Access to Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in a Rural State

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Improved knowledge of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening, linkage to care, and treatment is needed among nonspecialist medical professionals to combat the HCV epidemic. The authors sought to implement and analyze the impact of an HCV curriculum for primary care professionals (PCPs) across the state of Vermont, USA. METHODS This investigation was a retrospective analysis of uptake of a Vermont HCV educational curriculum and its impact on HCV direct-acting antiviral (DAA) prescribing rates within the state before and after the study period. The curriculum was delivered online and in-person over 2 years from 2019 to 2020. The primary outcome was health care professional performance on a pre- and post-curriculum short-term knowledge assessment exam. The secondary outcome was assessing the number of unique healthcare professionals within a single payor database prescribing DAA treatment for HCV in Vermont before and after the study intervention, from January 1, 2017 until December 1, 2021. RESULTS There were 31 unique respondents on the pre- and post-intervention examinations, which represented 9% of known participants. Respondents included physicians (n = 15), nurse practitioners (n = 8), and nurses (n = 8). Pre- and post-intervention knowledge scores increased significantly across all provider groups, from 3.2 (SD 0.6) to 4.5 (SD 0.4) 1 to 5 scale ( P = .01). The total number of unique HCV DAA therapy prescribers decreased over the study period, from 17 in 2017 to 9 in 2021. CONCLUSIONS A Vermont statewide HCV curriculum for PCPs was successful at increasing short-term HCV-related knowledge. However, this did not obviously translate to an increase in new professionals treating HCV.