Patient Knowledge, Beliefs and Barriers to Hepatitis D Care

Overview

A project to understand the determinants of health behaviour among those with chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection, under the care of the viral hepatitis service at Kings College Hospital (KCH). This is to improve and implement pathways and patient information distribution to improve access to care in an ethnically diverse population living with HDV in the UK. Kings college hospital NHS Foundation Trust is uniquely placed and serves a large diverse population from areas such as pan pacific Asia, Eastern Europe and regions in Africa, where English is not their first language. This diversity is also seen in other London Hospitals but less so in other parts of the UK.

To understand the knowledge patients have around their diagnosis of hepatitis D which is considered a rare disease but the most aggressive form of viral hepatitis. In order to improve the management of hepatitis D, this research aims to identify the current knowledge patients have about their diagnosis, the information provided to them in their preferred language, how they feel about their diagnosis and the stigma attached. This research has been conducted in patients with other forms of viral hepatitis but not in patients living with hepatitis D. There is a lack of research in this area. With this research we aim to improve treatment pathways, access to care and to information.

Conditions

Interventions