{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T03:44:02Z","timestamp":1784259842278,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]],"date-time":"2024-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1733270400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Eliminate Hepatitis C (EC) Australia Partnership"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing streamlines testing and treatment pathways. In this study, we established an HCV model of care in a homelessness service by offering antibody and RNA point-of-care testing. Methods: A nurse and peer-led HCV model of care with peer support were implemented between November 2021 and April 2022 at a homelessness service in Adelaide, Australia. All clients of the service were eligible to participate. Clients were offered an initial antibody point-of-care test, and antibody positive clients were immediately offered RNA point-of-care testing. Clients who tested RNA positive were linked to a viral hepatitis nurse for treatment. Results: A total of 230 clients received an HCV antibody point-of-care test, of which 68 (30%) were antibody positive and 11 (5%) were RNA positive. Of these, seven (64%) clients successfully completed treatment and five (45%) received a sustained virological response (SVR) test to confirm cure. Conclusions: We successfully established HCV testing and a treatment pathway at a homelessness service using HCV antibody and RNA point-of-care testing. The high testing uptake underscores the utility of HCV point-of-care testing when establishing HCV testing and treatment pathways. The low RNA positivity suggests that an initial HCV antibody test was cost-effective, and the four clients diagnosed with chronic HCV who were lost to follow-up indicate a need for enhanced treatment support.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v16121882","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,5]],"date-time":"2024-12-05T04:13:03Z","timestamp":1733371983000},"page":"1882","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Findings from a Project Which Established Hepatitis C Point-of-Care Testing and Linkage to Care at a Homelessness Service in Adelaide, Australia, 2021\u20132022"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4436-4151","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erin M.","family":"McCartney","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3227-9849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joshua","family":"Dawe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bristol Doctoral College, Bristol Medical School, Bristol BS8 2PN, UK"},{"name":"Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute, Melbourne 3004, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucy","family":"Ralton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey","family":"Stewart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Disease Department, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jacqueline A.","family":"Richmond","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute, Melbourne 3004, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alan","family":"Wigg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatology and Liver Transplantation Medicine Unit, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5042, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2014-5077","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Victoria","family":"Cock","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Drug and Alcohol Services, Glenside 5065, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0643-3926","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edmund Y.","family":"Tse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Gastroenterology & Hepatology Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tom","family":"Rees","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Communicable Disease Control Branch, SA Health, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9359-050X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David","family":"Shaw","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catherine","family":"Ferguson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-1253(20)30366-6","article-title":"The phases of hepatitis C elimination: Achieving WHO elimination targets","volume":"6","author":"Pedrana","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.5694\/mja2.50544","article-title":"Australia needs to increase testing to achieve hepatitis C elimination","volume":"212","author":"Scott","year":"2020","journal-title":"Med. J. Aust."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e309","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(21)00013-X","article-title":"Homelessness, unstable housing, and risk of HIV and hepatitis C virus acquisition among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"6","author":"Arum","year":"2021","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1153","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2023.06.016","article-title":"Hepatitis C Cascade of Care in the Direct-Acting Antivirals Era: A Meta-Analysis","volume":"65","author":"Wilson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Am. J. Prev. 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Dis."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"969","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.13112","article-title":"Hepatitis C virus testing, liver disease assessment and direct-acting antiviral treatment uptake and outcomes in a service for people who are homeless in Sydney, Australia: The LiveRLife homelessness study","volume":"26","author":"Bajis","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Viral Hepat."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2019.02.012","article-title":"Quantitative evaluation of an integrated nurse model of care providing hepatitis C treatment to people attending homeless services in Melbourne, Australia","volume":"72","author":"Harney","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug Policy"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103982","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2023.103982","article-title":"Single-visit hepatitis C point-of-care testing, linkage to nursing care, and peer-supported treatment among people with recent injecting drug use at a peer-led needle and syringe program: The TEMPO Pilot Study","volume":"114","author":"Grebely","year":"2023","journal-title":"Int. J. Drug Policy"}],"container-title":["Viruses"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4915\/16\/12\/1882\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T16:47:07Z","timestamp":1760114827000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4915\/16\/12\/1882"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12]]}},"alternative-id":["v16121882"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/v16121882","relation":{},"ISSN":["1999-4915"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1999-4915","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,4]]}}}