Theme: Models of Care Year: 2024
Background: The Antwerp model – a strong cooperation between ZAS Cadix (a large community hospital) and ngo Free Clinic (a low threshold drugs ervice) – has a long history of treating PWUD for hepatitis C. In the early days of interferon we have treated the most motivated, during the first years of DAA we treated the sick (F3,F4), and later on the easiest to catch.
Since a few years we’ve noticed we are confronted with multiple problems on different levels . Social and economic problems, but also multiple health problems in this very fragile population.
Even though these people were linked to care and treated for HCV with maximum support of the team, we see that in some of them the medical problems became fatal and these people needed to go into palliative care.
Description of model of care/intervention/program:
We developed a good practice model of care – based on intensive support, including peer support.
Effectiveness:
In this ‘caRemanagement’, both the hepC team (nurses and peers) and the hepatologist very intensively collaborate and supervise the medical ‘caRemanagement’ plans, PWUD are supported by the C-Buddy team in guiding them throughout the different medical treatments. This approach has proven his efficacy in different cases.
But for some people this support came too late, due to major medical problems they became palliative. As this population, of whom most have a unhealthy lifestyle, is also getting older, the team is confronted with comorbidity and sometimes fatal diseases (COPD, kidney problems, heart issues, HCC, lung cancer, dementia,….).
Since the team is working closely with this population, they challenge mental burdens during and after this palliative care.
Conclusion and next steps:
We will present our most recent data on this phenomenom and with some case studies illustrate how the team managed these challenges.