Facilitated Telemedicine as a Patient-Centered, Sociotechnical Intervention to Integrate Hepatitis C Treatment Into Opioid Treatment Programs and Overcome the Digital Divide Among Underserved Populations: Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

People with opioid use disorder (OUD) have the highest rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Despite the availability of curative HCV medication, people with OUD have limited health care access largely due to stigma. In a recent, pragmatic, randomized controlled trial (RCT), we compared a facilitated telemedicine intervention for HCV treatment integrated into opioid treatment programs (OTPs) with off-site referral. Facilitated telemedicine is bidirectional videoconferencing between a remote provider and a patient, supported by a case manager who facilitates the telemedicine encounter. The case manager schedules telemedicine visits, provides appointment reminders, and operates the digital equipment. Among 602 participants in the RCT, 90% (n=262) were cured through f

SUBMITTER: Talal AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12286564 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature