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Impacts, Contributions and Products - SUDs and Viral Hepatitis
Liver Health Initiative (LHI) for Patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and Viral Hepatitis
Impacts
Process-of-Care/Performance Improvements
Hepatitis Services in SUD Clinics: Program evaluation of the LHI preceptorship program, sponsored by the SUD QUERI and the Minneapolis Hepatitis C Resource Center (HCRC), demonstrated that the majority of trained teams partially implement LHI recommendations (e.g., implement 1 or 2 recommendations) and 25% of teams fully implement the recommendations. Examples included implementing universal screening for hepatitis infections at intake, developing comprehensive hepatitis educational programs, developing systems for delivering hepatitis A and B vaccinations in the SUD clinics, and developing facilitated referral to gastroenterology for patients testing positive for HCV or HBV in the SUD clinic.
Contributions
Contributions to VHA Activities/Entities
SUD and Hepatitis Resources: In collaboration with the Minneapolis HCRC, the IRC has provided a six-month training program to 61 teams from SUD clinics across the nation to promote hepatitis screening, prevention, and education services in SUD clinics.
Clinical Practice Products
Patient Education Materials
Hepatitis Educational Video: A 15-minute educational video about hepatitis infections targeting veterans with SUDs was developed for the LHI. The video has been distributed to the 61 teams that have attended the LHI preceptorships, with several clinics currently using it as part of their comprehensive hepatitis educational programs. The video has also been distributed at various VHA conferences.
To request a copy, please contact:
Hildi Hagedorn, Ph.D.
Implementation Research Coordinator, SUD-QUERI
612-476-3875
hildi.hagedorn@va.gov