Background: Many people are released from prison with untreated hepatitis C virus (HCV) and fail to link to care due to competing priorities. We compared linkage to HCV care among individuals who engaged in a multidisciplinary model of care versus in standard of care, and examined factors associated with linkage to care.
Methods: We conducted a prospective, quasi-experimental pre-post study in Quebec's largest provincial prison. Participants in the intervention arm met with a nurse, social worker, and patient navigator and were offered appointment accompaniment post-release. Participants in the control arm received a pre-release discharge appointment. The primary outcome was linkage to HCV care, defined as a documented visit with an HCV care provider within 90 days of release. Bayesian logistic regression was used to determine the impact of the intervention on linkage and to analyze relationships between covariates of interest and linkage. Probability differences and 95 % credible intervals (95 % CrI) were calculated.
Results: Overall, 648 participants underwent HCV screening; 19 and 20 had current HCV infection in the control and intervention arms, respectively. Among these, 2 (11 %) and 14 (80 %) were linked to care post-release, respectively. Intervention participants had a + 70 % (45 %, 88 %) difference in linkage to care versus control participants. Among intervention participants, those who were successfully contacted post-release were more likely to be linked to care [+64 % (14 %, 90 %)] than those who were not.
Conclusions: A multidisciplinary model of care increased linkage to HCV care among untreated individuals released from prison. Future interventions should support similar models, leveraging social support networks to maximize continuity of care.
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Linkage to care; Model of care; Prison; Transitional care.
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