Theme: Models of Care Year: 2018
Background: Catalonia has a comprehensive harm-reduction network, comprising 11 different Supervised Injection Sites (SIS) located in open drug scenes, caring for over 5000 PWID per year. Over 1900 PWID per year attend El Local, with an HCV seroprevalence of 81.3% and a prevalence of HCV viremic infection of 59.2%. Approach Our intervention consisted of a 2-hour educational session based on the Social Action Theory given to 31 PWID at El Local. The intervention was evaluated through a 23 item questionnaire adapted by REDUCE, consisting of three subscales (treatment, transmission routes and risk behaviours) administered pre-intervention, post-intervention and a one month after the session. Participants were offered HCV screening (antibody rapid test and RNA testing from driedblood spots) once the session finished and their participation was monetarily incentivized. Outcome: A Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test indicated that the median post-test ranks M=7.37 were statistically significantly higher than the pre-test ranks M=6.45, Z = -2.37, p < .017 on transmission routes; M= 7.58 post-test higher than the pre-test M= 6.86, Z = -2.36, p < .004 on treatment. The knowledge improvement was also retained one month after the intervention. All participants accepted to be screened for HCV after the educational session. Conclusion: Participative awareness-raising interventions coupled with testing have proven useful for improving knowledge on HCV treatment, transmission routes and risk behaviours. Accordingly, this intervention will be expanded to the harm-reduction network. Disclosure of Interest Statement: Within the HepCdetect II project, this study was funded in full by the Fellowship Programme from Gilead Spain, grant number GLD16-00135; note that Gilead had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of this abstract.
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