HBV Testing and Vaccinations among Asian and Pacific Islander Patients

Joseph Domingo ,Grace J Yoo,Rita Shiau,Jeff Henne,Melissa Sanchez

doi:10.32398/cjhp.v14i1.1861

Abstract

Background and Significance: One in 12 Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) are infected with hepatitis B (HBV). APIs represent one-third of the population in San Francisco. San Francisco Hep B Free (SFHBF), a citywide collaboration, works to educate physicians and the community on the importance of hepatitis B among APIs through increasing awareness, education and the availability of screening and vaccinations. The purpose of this paper was to qualitatively assess the perceived impact of SFHBF on the awareness and attitudes of physicians regarding screening and vaccination of APIs. Methods: Twenty physicians (n=20) participated in key informant interviews about HBV awareness and involvement with SFHBF. The questions focused on physician attitudes and practice towards HBV screening, vaccination and follow-up care, communication with patients about HBV, and awareness and effectiveness of the SFHBF outreach efforts. Results: Findings highlighted SFHBF’s impact on physicians’ sensitivity and awareness. Overall, physicians were increasing their HBV screening and vaccination rates among their API patients. Physicians noted the need for continual support to prioritize HBV screening and vaccination among their API patients. Conclusion: The findings of this study are important for understanding the impact of public health campaigns on physician attitudes and practices regarding HBV education, screening, and vaccinations among their API patients.

Highlights

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its sequelae – cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death – disproportionately affect Asian/Pacific Islander (API) populations in San Francisco, as well as throughout the United States (CDC, 2009)
APIs comprise only 4.5% of the U.S population (US Census, 2010), they account for more than 50% of Americans who are living with chronic HBV infection (Altekruse, McGlynn, & Reichman, 2009) with the highest occurrence of HCC occurring in APIs who have immigrated to the U.S (CDC, 2009)
The three key findings include the following physician perceptions: 1) the San Francisco Hep B Free (SFHBF) mass campaign contributed to a heightened sensitivity and awareness among these interviewed physicians in terms of HBV screenings and vaccinations for API patients 2) SFHBF physician education efforts contributed to increased screening and vaccination of API patients among these physicians and 3) there is the continual need to make HBV screening and vaccination a priority among their API patients

Summary

Introduction

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its sequelae – cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death – disproportionately affect Asian/Pacific Islander (API) populations in San Francisco, as well as throughout the United States (CDC, 2009). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that API patients born abroad and their children receive testing for HBV (CDC, 2014), studies have showed that screening and vaccinations among the API population are quite low (Lai et al, 2007; Nguyen, Gildengorin, Truong, & McPhee, 2007; Daley et al, 2009; Foster, Huiming, Kanwal, Han, & Speigel, 2011; Mukhtar et al, 2015). Conclusion: The findings of this study are important for understanding the impact of public health campaigns on physician attitudes and practices regarding HBV education, screening, and vaccinations among their API patients

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion