Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Do Electronic Reminders Aid in HCV Screening?
J Viral Hepat; ePub 2018 Mar 30; MacLean, et al
There was an increase in the proportion of patients tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) after implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) reminder system, a recent study found. The retrospective cohort study included 60,000 primary care patients at a northeast US academic medical center serving an urban and rural population in which an EMR reminder was instituted in 2014. Among the findings:
- There was an increase in proportion tested for HCV from 12% prior to the 2012 CDC recommendation to 37% after the reminder system.
- The yield of positive HCV antibody tests decreased from 7% in the “case-finding” era to 1.6% after the EMR reminder prompted screening of a lower risk population.
- Patients with a history of abnormal aminotransferase tests had a 5-fold higher rate of positive HCV Ab testing.
- 90% of patients with confirmed HCV infection were seen in specialty care.
MacLean CD, Berger C, Cangiano ML, Ziegelman D, Lidofsky SD. Impact of electronic reminder systems on hepatitis C screening in primary care. [Published online ahead of print March 30, 2018]. J Viral Hepat. doi:10.1111/jvh.12885.
This Week's Must Reads
Must Reads in Hepatitis
Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir Efficacy & Safety Assessed, J Hepatol; ePub 2018 Nov 23; D’Ambrosio, et al
HCV Infection Among Children & Young Persons, J Hepatol; ePub 2018 Nov 26; Modin, et al
HCV Patients with Limited Access to Antiviral Therapy, Dig Liver Dis; ePub 2018 Nov 29; Lens, et al
Progression in the Elimination of HCV Infection, PLoS One; ePub 2018 Dec 4; Juanbeltz, et al
Increased HCV Screening in Veteran Populations, Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf; ePub 2018 Sep 25; Wray, et al