Evaluation of a Program to Improve Linkage to and Retention in Care Among Refugees with Hepatitis B Virus Infection — Three U.S. Cities, 2006–2018

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Young, Janine ; Payton, Colleen ; Walker, Patricia ; White, Daniel ; Brandeland, Megan ; Kumar, Gayathri S. ; Jentes, Emily S. ; Settgast, Ann ; DeSilva, Malini
• Description:
  An estimated 257 million persons Worldwide have chronic hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection (1). CDC recommends HBV tTesting for persons from countries with intermediate to high HBV prevalence (≥2%), including newly arriving refugees (2). Complications of chronic HBV infection include liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which develop in 15%-25% of untreated adults infected in infancy or childhood (3). HBV-infected patients require regular monitoring for both infection and sequelae. Several studies have evaluated initial linkage to HBV care for both refugee and nonrefugee immigrant populations (4-9), but none contained standardized definitions for either linkage to or long-term retention in care for chronic HBV-infected refugees. To assess chronic HBV care, three urban sites that perform refugee domestic medical examinations and provide primary care collaborated in a quality improvement evaluation. Sites performed chart reviews and prospective outreach to refugees with positive test results for presumed HBV infection during domestic medical examinations. Linkage to care (29%-53%), retention in care (11%-21%), and outreach efforts (22%-71% could not be located) demonstrated poor access to initial and ongoing HBV care. Retrospective outreach was low-yield. Interventions that focus on prospective outreach and addressing issues related to access to care might improve linkage to and retention in care.
• Subjects:
  Adult Cities Continuity Of Patient Care Female Full Report Hepatitis B Hepatitis B Virus Humans Laboratories Male Mass Screening Program Evaluation Refugees Retention In Care Young Adult

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• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 69(21):647-650
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  32463810
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC7269606
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  4 pdf pages
• Volume:
  69
• Issue:
  21
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:32a863241f8f48cd24c3c9102cfcbe10b47fde611690d0d449a028c981bed442436c0fafa00371f9a491c90df2b6ffe1d78cd37a2fb6efa27ae9d8e6b73ef5af
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/89095/cdc_89095_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 92.68 KB ]