After a long wait, hepatitis B point-of-care testing finally made its appearance at a community testing event in Adelaide. Hepatitis SA launched the first hepatitis B rapid testing clinic in SA, aptly run on the first day of the first-ever World Hepatitis Testing Week, with the support of Chinese Welfare Services of SA (CWS), a community service organisation that has been operating the heart of Adelaide city since 1991.
The new hepatitis B rapid test was deployed in a testing clinic which is part of a pilot study to enhance assessment of liver disease and viral hepatitis among migrant and multi-cultural communities.
The pilot, a sub-study of National Australian Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing Program, will conduct hepatitis testing and liver health testing with adult members of multi-cultural migrant communities, to assess the rate of hepatitis C and hepatitis B infection among those tested. All participants receive a $30 shopping voucher.
Due to traffic congestion from Adelaide 500 road closures, the morning started later than planned and participant numbers built up quickly as a result. We were really glad our site Principal Investigator, Lisa, decided at the last minute to invite REDCap data entry veteran, Deborah, to come along to lend a hand. The appearance of our intrepid Chinese-speaking volunteer Vivien who had battled her way through a 10-minute-turned-40-minute journey, made us even happier, as all hands were needed to answer questions, direct participants, provide distraction to alleviate anxieties, and interpret instructions.
Participants are given a diagnostic test for hepatitis B and a screening test for hepatitis C. The hepatitis B diagnostic test looks for the hepatitis B surface antigen which is a marker of current infection. The hepatitis C test used in this pilot study is the newly approved test which looks for hepatitis C antibodies which are indicative of either prior or current hepatitis C infection. Both tests are carried out with tiny amounts of blood extracted via finger pricks. The hepatitis B test returns results in 15 minutes, and the hepatitis C antibody test in an incredible 60 seconds.
Participants who return positive for hepatitis C antibodies will receive the hepatitis C RNA test using GeneXpert rapid testing technology, and those who return positive for hepatitis B antigen will have a larger blood sample taken and sent to the laboratory for the standard panel of hepatitis B tests. Those who return positive for hepatitis C antibody or have had previous hepatitis C infection, will also be given a rapid HIV test.
At the end of the testing-run, participants are given a fibroscan and consultation with a healthcare provider. In this case, it was viral hepatitis nurse, Jeffrey Stewart.
The Liver Care pilot is currently being run in New South Wales and South Australia. The simplicity of the testing process meant it was possible for it to be done by trained community workers and can easily be taken into communities.
This first clinic proved a useful experience. We learnt which arrangements improved workflow, identified potential pitfalls and roadblocks, saw firsthand of the importance of cultural peers in engendering community receptiveness and the potential for running more of such testing clinics.
A total of 21 participants were tested and given fibroscans. Hepatitis SA educator, Jesse Chen, the key liaison between Hepatitis SA and CWS, extended his heartfelt thanks to the CWS team for their invaluable support. “Everything went smoothly. The CWS team’s professionalism and warm hospitality made a significant difference,” he said. This sentiment was strongly endorsed by the rest of the Hepatitis SA team, and gratitude was also extended to Viven without whom there would have been a lot less laughs and, more seriously, some participants left waiting for language support.
The Hepatitis SA team is looking forward to reaching out to other communities, and in time returning to the Chinese community. CWS has invited the Hepatitis SA team back, anytime.
Last updated 21 November 2024
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