Practices of Nurse Practitioners in Screening for Hepatitis C

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to determine both hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening rates and the percentage of cases diagnosed among adults born between 1945 and 1965 in a general practice clinic staffed by nurse practitioners (NPs). A descriptive study was conducted using a chart review of all patients born between 1945 and 1965 seen by NPs in a primary care clinic during a three month period of time. Data was collected on the total number of patients in the target group, those born between 1945 and 1965, as well as each patient’s gender, birth date, if screened for HCV, result of screening, and the reason for screening. Findings revealed that screening rates were suboptimal, with only six out of 178 patients in the target group having been screened for HCV. Age and gender did not appear to be a factor in whether or not a patient was screened.