A Trial to Reduce Hepatitis C Among Injection Drug Users - 1

Butler Hospital

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 3

Conditions

HCV Risk Behavior

HCV Negative Status

Treatments

Behavioral: Behavior Therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00218192

R01-13759-1

R01DA013759 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

NIDA-13759-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a brief motivational intervention on the cumulative incidence of Hepatitis C.

Full description

Injection drug users are at high risk for blood-borne viral infections during their first years of injecting when they are least likely to seek formal substance abuse treatment, and are likely to be practicing risky drug-use behaviors. Research has demonstrated that a brief motivational intervention that includes booster sessions and addresses drug and sex risks is effective in reducing HIV risk behaviors among injection drug users.

Because Hepatitis C Virus is a bloodborne pathogen like HIV, and transmission occurs via similar behaviors, successful HIV prevention strategies should be robust in preventing HCV but need to be tested. Motivational interventions, which aim to elicit a goal and plan from the patient to reduce injection and sexual risk taking, are particularly suited to address behaviorally-based changes. Motivational interventions are individualized and tailored to the risks and concerns of the participant, but can be standardized and evaluated to make this technique applicable in a variety of settings. The occurrence of injection drug use in a population with traditionally poor linkage to primary care, an enormous burden of illness, and high HCV and other blood-borne pathogen transmission risk, supports the use of motivational interventions in this group.

Comparison(s): Participants are assigned, in this 24 month longitudinal study, to an assessment-only condition or an assessment plus motivational intervention condition. Participants in the intervention condition receive up to 4 sessions of motivational interviewing during the first 6 months of the study.

Enrollment

277 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 75 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria