Hepatitis C Knowledge among Staff in U.S. Drug Treatment Programs

• Published in: Journal of drug education Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 141 - 158
• Main Authors: Strauss, Shiela M, Astone-Twerell, Janetta M, Munoz-Plaza, Corrine, Des Jarlais, Don C, Gwadz, Marya, Hagan, Holly, Osborne, Andrew, Rosenblum, Andrew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Baywood Publishing Company, Inc 01-01-2006
• Subjects: Access to Information; Adult; Communicable Diseases; Drug Therapy; Female; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Needs; Health Personnel; Hepatitis C; Humans; Individual Differences; Information Skills; Knowledge Level; Male; Metropolitan Areas; Middle Aged; New York; New York City; Patients; Program Effectiveness; Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Test Items; United States; New York; New York City; United States
• ISSN: 0047-2379
• DOI: 10.2190/3EMQ-N350-W4XN-WT1X

Staff in drug treatment programs are in an optimal position to support the hepatitis C related needs of their patients. To do so effectively, however, staff need to have accurate information about the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This article examines the HCV knowledge of staff (N = 104) in two drug-free and two methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs) in the New York metropolitan area. Five of 20 items on an HCV Knowledge Assessment were not answered correctly by the majority of the participating staff, and total scores on the Assessment averaged 70%, 71%, and 45% among the medically credentialed staff, non-medically credentialed staff in the MMTPs, and non-medically credentialed staff in the drug-free programs, respectively. The majority of those in the latter group had never participated in a training specifically devoted to HCV. Results suggest the need for effective HCV-related training for all staff in drug treatment programs. (Contains 3 tables.)