Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) represents a major public health concern in the United States; often patients do not develop symptoms until late disease states. Preventative care guidelines previously recommended screening of patients with risk factors and a routine one-time screening of those born between 1945-1965 (the birth cohort). The guidelines were recently expanded to include a one-time screening of all patients over the age of 18 regardless of risk factors. The literature review indicates poor implementation of the routine screening of the birth cohort, identifying many barriers; likely those barriers will also apply to the expanded guidelines. This project was developed to understand the knowledge and perceptions of adult patients regarding HCV and how perceptions differ between the birth cohort and other adults. A survey was conducted of adult patients in an infectious diseases practice; data was collected via anonymous checkbox survey. Outcomes included the number of adults who had been screened for HCV, comparison of screening rate to the literature, and evaluation of knowledge and perceptions of participants regarding HCV. A total of 46 adults accessed the survey; of those nine declined to participate. Among the remaining 37, seven reported screening for HCV; the highest percentage occurred in the age group born after the birth cohort. 59% would disclose potentially embarrassing risk factors for HCV and 36% reported having been asked about risk factors. This project highlights the need for healthcare policy change to mitigate barriers to HCV screening in order to improve efforts to control the HCV epidemic; MSN to DNP