Consensus recommendations on the management of hepatitis C in Australia's prisons.
Rebecca J WinterYumi SheehanTimothy PapalucaGraeme A MacdonaldJoy RowlandAnton ColmanMark StooveAndrew R LloydAlexander J ThompsonPublished in: The Medical journal of Australia (2023)
The recommendations set current best practice standards in hepatitis C diagnosis, treatment and prevention in the Australian prison sector based on available evidence. Prison-based health services should strive to simplify and improve efficiency in the provision of the hepatitis C care cascade, including strategies such as universal opt-out testing, point-of-care testing, simplified assessment protocols, and earlier confirmation of cure. Optimising hepatitis C management in prisons is essential to prevent long term adverse outcomes for a marginalised population living with HCV. Scale-up of testing and treatment in prisons will make a major contribution towards Australia's efforts to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030.