Conway Anna, Marshall Alison D, Grebely Jason, Fontaine Guillaume, Treloar Carla
The Kirby Institute, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
The Kirby Institute, UNSW, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
Soc Sci Med. 2025 Aug;378:118140. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118140. Epub 2025 May 1.
New hepatitis C virus (HCV) point-of-care testing technologies need models of care which involve new tasks to be performed by the health workforce (e.g., pathologists, community health workers, and peer workers). This change in tasks may challenge existing core patterns of work and professional identities. This study explores the interactions between professional identity and new technologies of HCV point-of-care testing.
Between September 2023 and January 2024, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with people involved in HCV policymaking in Australia. The sample consisted of 29 participants working in seven Australian jurisdictions or nationally: 13 from departments of health, six from community-led organisations, five from local health districts, and five from pathology services. Data were coded according to themes identified in a prior conceptual review of professional identity. Analysis explored the bidirectional relationship between professional identities and the implementation of point-of-care testing.
Three themes were identified which explain the role of professional identity in influencing implementation of HCV point-of-care testing. Everyday interpersonal interactions influenced perceptions of risk. Maintaining high quality in point-of-care testing is valued across professions but the interpretation of quality is varied. Workers who deliver services directly to people at risk of HCV emphasise agility as a characteristic of their group identity which also distinguishes them from other professions.
Professional identities are shaping the rollout of HCV point-of-care testing. The prioritisation of risk, agility, and quality in professional identities shape the possibilities for HCV point-of-care testing. The analysis demonstrates the inextricability of new technology from the people who deliver it.
新型丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）即时检测技术需要护理模式，其中涉及卫生工作人员（如病理学家、社区卫生工作者和同伴工作者）执行的新任务。任务的这种变化可能会挑战现有的核心工作模式和职业身份。本研究探讨职业身份与HCV即时检测新技术之间的相互作用。
2023年9月至2024年1月期间，对澳大利亚参与HCV政策制定的人员进行了深入的半结构化访谈。样本包括在澳大利亚七个司法管辖区或全国范围内工作的29名参与者：13名来自卫生部门，6名来自社区主导组织，5名来自当地卫生区，5名来自病理服务部门。数据根据先前对职业身份的概念性综述中确定的主题进行编码。分析探讨了职业身份与即时检测实施之间的双向关系。
确定了三个主题，解释了职业身份在影响HCV即时检测实施中的作用。日常人际互动影响了风险认知。在即时检测中保持高质量在各专业中都受到重视，但对质量的解释各不相同。直接为有HCV感染风险的人提供服务的工作人员强调灵活性是其群体身份的一个特征，这也使他们与其他专业有所区别。
职业身份正在塑造HCV即时检测的推广。职业身份中对风险、灵活性和质量的优先排序塑造了HCV即时检测的可能性。分析表明新技术与提供技术的人员密不可分。
