A new, free, online curriculum offers healthcare providers and health profession educators training on HIV/Hepatitis C (HCV) co-infection, including prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations. The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program’s AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) National Coordinating Resource Center developed the evidence-based curriculum. National HIV experts and staff from HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau (HRSA/HAB) provided input. It was developed as a component of Jurisdictional Approaches to Curing Hepatitis C among HIV/HCV Co-infected People of Color, a HRSA/HAB project supported by the Secretary's Minority AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF).
An estimated 20-25% of people living with HIV in the U.S. are coinfected with Hepatitis C. “People who are coinfected with HIV and HCV are a priority population for HCV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment because liver-related death is common among this population,” observed Corinna Dan, R.N., M.P.H., Viral Hepatitis Policy Advisor in the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy. Noting that the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan includes people living with HIV/HCV coinfection among its priority populations, she added, “These deaths are preventable because we can cure HCV. In this new era of curative Hepatitis C treatments that have fewer side effects and are equally effective in people living with HIV, this new online training resource is an important resource for health professionals and help expand capacity for treating everyone living with HIV/HCV coinfection.”
A useful tool for clinicians of all types, faculty, trainers, and students, the new Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program curriculum covers six core competencies:
- Epidemiological background of HIV/HCV co-infection in the United States;
- Primary and secondary prevention of viral hepatitis among people living with HIV in the United States;
- Screening, testing, and diagnosis of HCV infection among people living with HIV;
- HCV treatment guidelines for adults living with HIV;
- Recommendations for subpopulations of people living with HIV/HCV co-infection; and
- Recommendations to address barriers related to screening, testing, treatment, and care of HCV co-infected people living with HIV.
Each section, or core competency, is available in PowerPoint slide format, which can be easily adapted for training and sharing. Links to additional resources and more information are included throughout.Access the curriculum at https://aidsetc.org/hivhcv and share it with your network to help build the knowledge and expertise to eliminate HCV coinfection among people living with HIV.