Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland.
Hospital Pharmacy, Kantonsspital Baden, Switzerland.
BMC Infect Dis. 2023 Jun 7;23(1):384. doi: 10.1186/s12879-023-08362-1.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are a public health burden worldwide and often go undetected until sequelae develop. Offering HCV screening for the different vulnerable populations in community pharmacies could help prevent further undetected HCV infections. This pilot aimed to assess the feasibility and pharmacist acceptance of HCV rapid antibody saliva testing in community pharmacies.
A structured pharmaceutical care intervention was developed that included addressing, informing, and screening clients, as well as referral and reporting to subsequent health care providers. Participating pharmacies from French-, German- and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland were trained to provide this service to local vulnerable populations. Information on client recruitment, feasibility, and acceptability of HCV screening was collected.
Of 36 pharmacies initially recruited, 25 started the pilot and approached 435 clients, 145 of whom (33%) were interested in screening. Eight of these rapid antibody tests returned positive (prevalence rate: 5.5%). Facilitators were being able to offer a free rapid test (73%), followed by having training prior to the project (67%) and having a new service to offer (67%). The possibility of clients reacting dismissively (53%) and of unsettling clients (47%) were reported to be the main barriers.
This pilot demonstrated the general feasibility of an HCV screening service with rapid antibody saliva testing in Swiss community pharmacies, which achieved a higher prevalence rate than national estimates. With appropriate communication training and remuneration, Swiss community pharmacies could be an important partner in implementing HCV elimination strategies.
丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) 感染是全球范围内的公共卫生负担，通常在出现后遗症之前未被发现。在社区药房为不同的弱势群体提供 HCV 快速抗体唾液检测，有助于防止进一步的未被发现的 HCV 感染。本试点旨在评估社区药房中 HCV 快速抗体唾液检测的可行性和药剂师接受度。
制定了一项结构化的药物治疗干预措施，包括与客户沟通、告知、筛查，以及将客户转介给后续医疗保健提供者并进行报告。瑞士法语、德语和意大利语地区的参与药房接受了提供此项服务给当地弱势群体的培训。收集了关于客户招募、可行性和 HCV 筛查可接受性的信息。
在最初招募的 36 家药房中，有 25 家开始了试点并接触了 435 位客户，其中 145 位（33%）对筛查感兴趣。其中 8 项快速抗体检测呈阳性（流行率：5.5%）。能够提供免费快速检测（73%）、项目开展前的培训（67%）以及提供新服务（67%）是可行的主要因素。报告的主要障碍包括客户可能会不屑一顾（53%）和让客户感到不安（47%）。
本试点表明，瑞士社区药房提供 HCV 快速抗体唾液检测筛查服务具有一定的可行性，其流行率高于全国估计值。通过适当的沟通培训和薪酬，瑞士社区药房可以成为实施 HCV 消除策略的重要合作伙伴。
