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Providing treatment for hepatitis C in an Australian district centre

¹ Department of Medicine, Rockhampton Base Hospital, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
² Sexual Health Clinic, Rockhampton Base Hospital, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
³ Rural Clinical Division, University of Queensland, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Amir Safe
Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield S5 7AU, UK; amirsafe{at}hotmail.com

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) poses a major public health problem world wide. The introduction of combined therapy (interferon and ribavirin) and the recent development of pegylated interferon have offered the opportunity to alter the natural history of HCV, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality. Until recently, treatment has been confined to larger Australian cities. This paper describes the establishment of a clinic for the treatment of HCV in a regional Australian city. The facilities of the sexual health clinic were utilised. Factors contributing to the success of the clinic include the specialist nurse, a multidisciplinary approach, and the service model of shared care with general practitioners. The patient population and the outcomes of managing HCV in a regional centre are described. The sustained viral response rate is comparable to the published data from specialist centres.

Keywords: hepatitis C virus; shared care programme; district centre

Abbreviations: HCV, hepatitis C virus; PCR, polymerase chain reaction