Opportune Time: Identifying and Managing HCV and HIV in Correctional Settings

Faculty:

David Paar, MD David A. Wohl, MD

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Recount current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for hepatitis C virus and HIV testing that are designed to optimize timely diagnosis in an institutional setting
• Discuss the process of decision-making regarding the optimal timing for initiation of therapy for each hepatitis C virus– or HIV-infected patient, taking into account their health status, comorbidities, coinfections, and readiness to start therapy
• Apply current clinical evidence to the choice of initial hepatitis C virus and HIV regimens, with attention to special considerations in institutional settings
• Employ strategies for the appropriate medical management of patients receiving treatment for hepatitis C virus or HIV
• Promptly identify HIV virologic failure and implement evidence-based strategies for its management
• Use strategies for determining hepatitis C virus treatment candidacy and feasibility in institutional settings and methods for overcoming potential treatment barriers (including patient confidentiality, limited human and other resources)
• Describe strategies to reduce barriers to continuity of care for HIV and/or hepatitis C virus patients re-entering their community settings
• Nurses will be better able to provide appropriate care and counsel for patients in institutional settings and their families