Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Publication Date
12-1-2022
Journal
Dialogues in Health
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals experiencing homelessness may be at a higher risk for hepatitis C infection because many are vulnerable to risk factors related to HCV. Screening is the very first step in the HCV care continuum, but it remains unclear how to improve HCV screening among this hard-to-reach population. Thus, the present study investigated the barriers and facilitators to HCV screening from the perspective of individuals experiencing homelessness within a non-residential social service setting.
METHODS: Individuals experiencing homelessness (aged 18+) were approached while they were seeking services at two community-based organizations in Houston, Texas, during August 2020. Participants (
RESULTS: Participants were predominantly male (
CONCLUSION: Community-based HCV screening programs may wish to account for the lived experiences of individuals experiencing homelessness in order to minimize barriers to screening. Client-centered strategies that reduce wait times and incentivize participation should be considered to eliminate barriers and increase convenience for this high-risk population.
Keywords
Texas, Homelessness, Hepatitis C, Screening, Barriers, Facilitators
DOI
10.1016/j.dialog.2022.100058
PMID
38515888
PMCID
PMC10953933
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
10-18-2022
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Published Open-Access
yes