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Understanding current antenatal Hepatitis C testing and care in maternity services in England

  • Amoolya Vusirikala , Georgia Threadgold , Rachel Roche , Matthew Hibbert ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Ruth Simmons , Sharon Webb , Mark Gillyon-Powell , Monica Desai and Sema Mandal
Published/Copyright: April 22, 2024
Journal of Perinatal Medicine
From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 52 Issue 5

Abstract

Objectives

Universal opt-out antenatal screening for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is not currently recommened and it is recommended that maternity services offer risk-based testing. We aimed to investigate antenatal HCV testing and adherence to testing guidance.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was circulated to maternity service providers between November–December 2020 which included testing policy, training for healthcare staff, and management of women found to be HCV positive. Descriptive data are presented.

Results

A total of 75 questionnaires were returned, representing 48 % of English maternity service providers. 87 % of providers reported offering antenatal HCV risk-based testing. Risk factors used to identify pregnant women for testing varied. Less than 15 % of respondents considered women that were ever homeless or with history of incarceraton or from higher HCV prevalence areas as high risk.

Conclusions

Current antenatal HCV testing practices are inadequate and HCV infection likely goes undiagnosed in pregnancy, especially among vulnerable population groups. In the absence of universal antenatal screening, re-framing antenatal HCV risk-based testing and management as a quality improvement initiative and developing HCV specific pathway guidance for maternity units is required.

Keywords: antenatal testing; HCV infection; pregnancy; Hepatitis C; United Kingdom; survey
Corresponding author: Matthew Hibbert, Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STI & HIV Division, UK Health Security Agency, Colindale NW9 5EQ, London, UK, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all maternity services that took the time to respond to the survey.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable – this was a service audit so ethical approval was not needed.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. AV drafted the survey with GT RR RS MG-P MD and SM. AV analysed the results with MH. AV and MH prepared the manuscript with feedback from all authors.

  4. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: Data are available upon reasonable request.

References

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Received: 2023-12-05
Accepted: 2024-03-04
Published Online: 2024-04-22
Published in Print: 2024-06-25

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Outcome of fetal congenital pulmonary malformations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  4. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  5. Reducing decisional conflict in decisions about prenatal genetic testing: the impact of a dyadic intervention at the start of prenatal care
  6. The value of fibrinogen combined with D-dimer and neonatal weight in predicting postpartum hemorrhage in vaginal delivery
  7. Current obstetric outcomes in Jamaican women with sickle hemoglobinopathy – a balance of risks for aspirin?
  8. Does delayed cord clamping result in higher maternal blood loss in primary cesarean sections? A retrospective comparative study
  9. Trends in antenatal corticosteroid administration: did our timing improve?
  10. A national survey on current practice of ultrasound in labor ward
  11. Understanding current antenatal Hepatitis C testing and care in maternity services in England
  12. Exploring the clinical utility of exome sequencing/Mono, Duo, Trio in prenatal testing: a retrospective study in a tertiary care centre in South India
  13. Original Articles – Fetus
  14. Fetoscopic laser coagulation for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome: a comparison of flexible 1.0/1.2 mm fetoscopes with curved sheaths of 2.7/3.3 mm2 vs. 2 mm fetoscopic lens technique with sheaths of 6.6/11.3 mm2
  15. Value of fetal echocardiographic examination in pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes
  16. Bias in the prenatal lung measurements in fetal congenital diaphragmatic hernia with intrauterine growth restriction
  17. Original Articles – Neonates
  18. Chest radiographic thoracic areas and respiratory outcomes in infants with anterior abdominal wall defects
  19. Temporal effects of caffeine on intrapulmonary shunt in preterm ventilated infants
  20. Letter to the Editor
  21. HDlive Silhouette features of physiological midgut herniation
https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2023-0508
Keywords for this article
antenatal testing; HCV infection; pregnancy; Hepatitis C; United Kingdom; survey

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. Outcome of fetal congenital pulmonary malformations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
  4. Original Articles – Obstetrics
  5. Reducing decisional conflict in decisions about prenatal genetic testing: the impact of a dyadic intervention at the start of prenatal care
  6. The value of fibrinogen combined with D-dimer and neonatal weight in predicting postpartum hemorrhage in vaginal delivery
  7. Current obstetric outcomes in Jamaican women with sickle hemoglobinopathy – a balance of risks for aspirin?
  8. Does delayed cord clamping result in higher maternal blood loss in primary cesarean sections? A retrospective comparative study
  9. Trends in antenatal corticosteroid administration: did our timing improve?
  10. A national survey on current practice of ultrasound in labor ward
  11. Understanding current antenatal Hepatitis C testing and care in maternity services in England
  12. Exploring the clinical utility of exome sequencing/Mono, Duo, Trio in prenatal testing: a retrospective study in a tertiary care centre in South India
  13. Original Articles – Fetus
  14. Fetoscopic laser coagulation for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome: a comparison of flexible 1.0/1.2 mm fetoscopes with curved sheaths of 2.7/3.3 mm2 vs. 2 mm fetoscopic lens technique with sheaths of 6.6/11.3 mm2
  15. Value of fetal echocardiographic examination in pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes
  16. Bias in the prenatal lung measurements in fetal congenital diaphragmatic hernia with intrauterine growth restriction
  17. Original Articles – Neonates
  18. Chest radiographic thoracic areas and respiratory outcomes in infants with anterior abdominal wall defects
  19. Temporal effects of caffeine on intrapulmonary shunt in preterm ventilated infants
  20. Letter to the Editor
  21. HDlive Silhouette features of physiological midgut herniation
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