Managing chronic hepatitis B: A qualitative study exploring the perspectives of people living with chronic hepatitis B in Australia

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Managing chronic hepatitis B: A qualitative study exploring the perspectives of

people living with chronic hepatitis B in Australia

The implementation of a comprehensive public health response to hepatitis B in

Australia is urgently required to reduce the increasing burden of hepatitis B

infection on the health system and the community. A significant gap in the

public health response to hepatitis B is an understanding of how people with

chronic hepatitis B (CHB) respond to CHB.FindingsA qualitative study involving

semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions was conducted.

Interviews were held with 20 people with CHB from three states of Australia. In

addition, four focus group discussions were held with a total of 40 community

and health workers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in

four Australian states.People with CHB reported no formal or informal pre or

post test discussion with little information about hepatitis B provided at the

point of diagnosis.

Knowledge deficits about hepatitis B were found among most participants. Few

resources are available for people with CHB or their families to assist them in

understanding the infection and promoting their health and well-being.

A lack of confidence in the professional knowledge of service providers was

noted throughout interviews.

Conclusions: People with CHB need culturally and linguistically appropriate

education and information, particularly at the point of diagnosis. Primary

health care professionals need the knowledge, skills and motivation to provide

appropriate information to people with CHB, to ensure they have the capacity to

better manage their infection.

Author: Jack Wallace McNally Jacqui Richmond Behzad Hajarizadeh n

Pitts

Credits/Source: BMC Research Notes 2011, 4:45