This project is a partnership between Bulgarr Ngaru Medical Aboriginal Corporation (BNMAC), Eliminate Hepatitis C (EC) Australia Partnership and Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) that aims to increase viral hepatitis, HIV and STI testing and treatment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in regional settings.
The program objective is to implement a community, co-designed, evidence based BBV and STI program that includes staff education, prevention and treatment services in an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO), a primary health care setting.
The program aims to:
2021–2024.
These activities built staff knowledge and awareness of culturally appropriate approaches to increase testing and coverage rates for STIs and BBVs. This training was provided by ASHM and co-produced alongside BNMAC and EC Australia. The training focussed on building skills, motivation, and confidence of staff to integrate STIs and BBVs into 715 Aboriginal health checks and explored cultural aspects impacting on high rates of STIs and BBVs with the local community.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities will be undertaken to improve whole of practice screening, management and follow up. The National Framework for Continuous Quality Improvement in Primary Health Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, 2018-2023 will underpin these activities using four domains:
Discrete activities include development of STIs/BBVs clinical audits to identify priority patient groups with the service and implement an iterative process of Plan-Do-Check-Act to increase testing, treatment and management of STIs and BBVs among priority patient groups, including:
Community campaigns will be implemented across three services that will aim to increase awareness and increase access to viral hepatitis and STI screening, targeting new clients through the use of rapid point of care testing and a peer-referral incentive program.
These hepatitis C testing campaigns will coincide with local events or community days where events are held at community outreach clinics or partner sites over several days to attract clients to these services, and will offer on-site testing. Small monetary incentives will be incorporated into these campaigns to attract new clients on the day and to link clients to follow up appointments at BNMAC services.
The use of peer-referral incentive program will provide patient disbursements to attend screening and then at key points across the care cascade to assist clients with travel costs to attend any follow up clinic appointments.
Disbursements will be provided for undertaking baseline STI/BBV testing & completing patient registration form, for attending follow up appointments and treatment initiation, and for referring a friend to undergo testing during the campaign period.
The GeneXpert platform will be used to provide rapid point-of-care (POC) testing for hepatitis B and C. This will enable clients to be diagnosed within 60 minutes and be linked to care and treatment on the same day.
Anticipated outcomes of the project will be: