Abstract
Ignorance about Hepatitis-C (HCV) among drug users, treatment staff, and policy makers thwarts treatment uptake and facilitates virus transmission. We assessed knowledge about HCV among methadone patients in Israel, where effective HCV-treatment is provided at low-cost within the national health insurance framework, yet few infected methadone patients are treated. In 2006, 512 patients in two methadone clinics in Israel were interviewed, of whom 53% were HCV-positive. The clinics were purposively selected from the 11 methadone clinics in the country. Respondents exhibited poor knowledge about HCV, particularly about diagnosis and treatment. Lesser-educated respondents were three times more likely to score low on HCV-knowledge compared to those with 12+ years of schooling (AOR = 2.97, 95 CI = 1.55.7. HCV-negative patients were also three-times more likely than HCV-positive patients to score low on the HCV-knowledge scale (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 3.0, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.94.7). Enhancing HCV-knowledge may help patients avoid becoming infected and infecting others, allay exaggerated fears about hepatitis, and facilitate HCV-treatment initiation among those infected.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 58-76 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Substance Use and Misuse |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2010 |
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Keywords
- Drug dependence
- HCV
- Hepatitis C
- Knowledge
- Methadone
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health(social science)
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Knowledge about hepatitis-C among methadone maintenance treatment patients in Israel. / Cohen-Moreno, Rinat; Schiff, Miriam; Levitt, Shabtay; Bar-Hamburger, Rachel; Strauss, Shiela; Neumark, Yehuda.
In: Substance Use and Misuse, Vol. 45, No. 1-2, 2010, p. 58-76.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge about hepatitis-C among methadone maintenance treatment patients in Israel
AU - Cohen-Moreno, Rinat
AU - Schiff, Miriam
AU - Levitt, Shabtay
AU - Bar-Hamburger, Rachel
AU - Strauss, Shiela
AU - Neumark, Yehuda
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Ignorance about Hepatitis-C (HCV) among drug users, treatment staff, and policy makers thwarts treatment uptake and facilitates virus transmission. We assessed knowledge about HCV among methadone patients in Israel, where effective HCV-treatment is provided at low-cost within the national health insurance framework, yet few infected methadone patients are treated. In 2006, 512 patients in two methadone clinics in Israel were interviewed, of whom 53% were HCV-positive. The clinics were purposively selected from the 11 methadone clinics in the country. Respondents exhibited poor knowledge about HCV, particularly about diagnosis and treatment. Lesser-educated respondents were three times more likely to score low on HCV-knowledge compared to those with 12+ years of schooling (AOR = 2.97, 95 CI = 1.55.7. HCV-negative patients were also three-times more likely than HCV-positive patients to score low on the HCV-knowledge scale (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 3.0, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.94.7). Enhancing HCV-knowledge may help patients avoid becoming infected and infecting others, allay exaggerated fears about hepatitis, and facilitate HCV-treatment initiation among those infected.
AB - Ignorance about Hepatitis-C (HCV) among drug users, treatment staff, and policy makers thwarts treatment uptake and facilitates virus transmission. We assessed knowledge about HCV among methadone patients in Israel, where effective HCV-treatment is provided at low-cost within the national health insurance framework, yet few infected methadone patients are treated. In 2006, 512 patients in two methadone clinics in Israel were interviewed, of whom 53% were HCV-positive. The clinics were purposively selected from the 11 methadone clinics in the country. Respondents exhibited poor knowledge about HCV, particularly about diagnosis and treatment. Lesser-educated respondents were three times more likely to score low on HCV-knowledge compared to those with 12+ years of schooling (AOR = 2.97, 95 CI = 1.55.7. HCV-negative patients were also three-times more likely than HCV-positive patients to score low on the HCV-knowledge scale (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 3.0, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.94.7). Enhancing HCV-knowledge may help patients avoid becoming infected and infecting others, allay exaggerated fears about hepatitis, and facilitate HCV-treatment initiation among those infected.
KW - Drug dependence
KW - HCV
KW - Hepatitis C
KW - Knowledge
KW - Methadone
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=73649131591&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=73649131591&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/10826080902864894
DO - 10.3109/10826080902864894
M3 - Article
VL - 45
SP - 58
EP - 76
JO - Substance Use and Misuse
JF - Substance Use and Misuse
SN - 1082-6084
IS - 1-2
ER -