Hepatology Nurse Practitioner, VA San Diego, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr. ,Building 1, Rm 3186A, San Diego, CA, 92037, USA.
Seattle University College of Nursing, 901 12th Ave, P.O. Box 222000, Seattle, WA, 98122-1090, USA.
J Cancer Educ. 2021 Oct;36(5):1093-1097. doi: 10.1007/s13187-020-01741-1.
Viral hepatitis B and C are among the leading causes of acute and chronic liver disease in the USA. The nature of chronic liver disease is often asymptomatic. This is problematic because the majority of individuals living with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C do not know that they are infected and can communicate the disease to others. Furthermore, early disease recognition and treatment have been shown to improve long-term outcomes and decrease healthcare cost. These diseases affect vulnerable populations disproportionately. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are more likely than the general US population to have CHB, and the baby boomer generation is more likely than any other age group to have CHC. Federally Qualified Health Centers play a vital role in providing comprehensive primary care to medically underserved populations. Utilization of electronic health records reminders in Federally Qualified Health Centers results in increased screening, reduced provider screening bias and improved opportunity for management of patients living with chronic viral hepatitis. Electronic health records technology is a potent tool kit to aggressively screen, treat, and prevent viral hepatitis, ultimately, leading to decreased incidence of liver cancer.
乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎病毒是美国急性和慢性肝病的主要病因之一。慢性肝病的性质往往是无症状的。这是一个问题，因为大多数患有乙型肝炎和丙型肝炎的人不知道自己被感染了，并且可以将疾病传染给他人。此外，早期发现和治疗已被证明可以改善长期预后并降低医疗成本。这些疾病在弱势群体中不成比例地流行。亚裔美国人和太平洋岛民比一般美国人口更有可能患有乙型肝炎，而婴儿潮一代比任何其他年龄组更有可能患有丙型肝炎。合格的联邦健康中心在为医疗服务不足的人群提供综合初级保健方面发挥着至关重要的作用。在合格的联邦健康中心使用电子健康记录提醒可增加筛查、减少提供者筛查偏差并为慢性病毒性肝炎患者的管理提供更多机会。电子健康记录技术是一种强大的工具包，可用于积极筛查、治疗和预防病毒性肝炎，最终可降低肝癌的发病率。
