Hepatitis C Patient Management and Family Health Education
Hepatitis C Patient Management and Family Health Education
INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is recognized as the leading cause of chronic liver
 disease worldwide. However, the screening rate and treatment rate of HCV-infected patients in
 China is low, which increases the burden of patients and the infection risk of their family
 members. WeChat, an instant messaging software, is used in a very high proportion in China.
 Health promotion based on WeChat public platform is a very convenient and effective way of
 health education. Therefore, this study plans to apply WeChat to conduct health intervention
 for HCV-infected patients. The objective is to explore the effect of We-media-based health
 promotion method on the detection rate and treatment rate of HCV-infected and their family
 members.

 METHOD: Recruitment will be conduct in 10 hospitals in Jilin, Beijing, Henan and Anhui
 provinces. The subjects should be patients new diagnosed with hepatitis C at the hospital and
 aged 18 to 69. After signing the consent form, eligible participants were selected through
 the inclusion and exclusion criteria. 1000 participants will be recruited for the trial.
 After completing an baseline reseach by a online questionnaire, patients will be randomly
 assigned to receive a targeted short article on HCV weekly or a general health article with
 no mention of HCV. The intervention will last three months and a follow-up will be conduct at
 three month after the last intervention.

 OUTCOMES: The primary outcome is antiviral therapy. The secondary outcomes are cognition and
 attitude towards hepatitis C, factors influencing antiviral therapy, time to first treatment
 and the compliance of treatment.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Permanent residents in the province

 -  Ages 18-69 (inclusive)

 -  Both blood anti-HCV test and HCV-RNA test is positive

 -  Familiar with the use of mobile phones and WeChat

 -  Informed consent and voluntary participation in the study

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Temporary staff who come to the city to work, travel or visit relatives, or those who
 will be living in other cities for a long time

 -  Suffering from other serious diseases

 -  Patients with mental disorder or memory disorder

 -  Pregnant women or those who have a plan to prepare for pregnancy within one year

 -  Refuse to participate in the investigation