Regional challenges: evaluation of a hepatitis outreach programme using transient elastography (FibroScan) in Victoria

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of an outreach programme using a mobile transient elastography (TE) device (FibroScan) to improve liver disease assessment in different clinical settings. AIMS: To evaluate a programme of liver fibrosis assessment by TE and to compare fibrosis scores between different sites and patient groups. METHODS: Prospective cohort study. TE was conducted at a tertiary hospital and during outreach clinics in three different settings: community clinics, clinics for people who use drugs (PWUD) and regional clinics in rural Victoria. All patients referred for TE at the participating locations were eligible during the study period. RESULTS: A total of 200 of 623 patients was assessed and evaluated during outreach sessions (regional 100; PWUD 18; community 82). While the majority of patients in community centres were infected with hepatitis B (68%), most patients in regional clinics and in PWUD settings had hepatitis C virus (HCV) (81 and 100%, respectively). Significantly more patients assessed at regional clinics and PWUD settings presented with severe fibrosis (F3-F4, F4): regional clinics 39%; PWUD 31%; tertiary 11%; community 7%, (P