ON DEMAND 2024 Midwest Conference - Hepatitis C: Working Towards Elimination

It is estimated that there are 70 million persons in the world living with hepatitis C with 5.2 million of those cases occurring in the United States. In fact, the majority of those infected are unaware of their diagnosis. The annual rate of reported acute hepatitis C tripled from 2009 to 2018 and was highest among persons aged 20–39 years. In 2018, the largest proportion of chronic hepatitis C cases occurred among persons aged 20–39 years and 50–69 years. Only 61% of adults with hepatitis C knew that they were infected. If left untreated, there is a 15 to 30% risk of developing cirrhosis within 20 years as well as the potential development of extrahepatic manifestations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a goal for hepatitis C elimination by 2030 and this target would require 90% of cases to be diagnosed, 80% of those to be treated, and efforts aimed at incidence reduction. For this reason, The WHO now advises that testing, care and treatment for persons with chronic hepatitis C infection can be provided by trained non-specialist doctors and nurses. Therefore, it is of the upmost importance that advanced practice providers are knowledgeable on the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. This 60-minute lecture will provide an overview of the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and special considerations for management for those infected with hepatitis C. 

• Enhancing Diagnosis and Awareness of Hepatitis C: Equip advanced practice providers with the skills to effectively diagnose hepatitis C, emphasizing the importance of increased awareness and screening to identify the substantial number of undiagnosed cases, particularly among high-risk age groups.

• Comprehensive Management of Hepatitis C: Provide an in-depth understanding of the current treatment protocols for hepatitis C, including the integration of non-specialist providers in the treatment process, to align with the World Health Organization’s goals for eliminating the disease by 2030.

Learning Outcome Evaluation: Participants will state one thing they learned from the program and how they will implement it into their practice. 

The Illinois Nurses Foundation and the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing jointly provided this program.

To earn contact hours, learners must watch the entire webinar and submit an evaluation to receive the digital certificate after the session.

There are no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies for those involved with the ability to control the content of this activity