A randomized pilot study assessing the acceptability of rapid point-of-care hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing among male inmates in Montreal, Canada.

BACKGROUND

The OraquickⓇ fingerprick point-of-care hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV-Ab) test is favoured to venipuncture among people who inject drugs; however, its acceptability in prison populations is unknown. We aimed to compare the acceptability of the OraquickⓇ versus standard venipuncture among people in prison.

METHODS

From October to December 2019, 280 sentenced male inmates at L'Établissement de Détention de Montréal (Quebec, Canada) were screened for participation, 150 excluded due to prior HCV screening, and 52 refused participation. The remaining 78 were randomized 1:1 to opt-out HCV-Ab screening with OraQuickⓇ or venipuncture (n = 39 each). Acceptability was determined by the proportion accepting to undergo screening.

RESULTS

The majority of participants (median age 33 years) reported a history of drug use (76%; 8% injection drug use); 47% perceived their HCV risk to be moderate/high. All inmates randomized to OraquickⓇ accepted testing while 87% accepted venipuncture. Among those who accepted OraquickⓇ vs. venipuncture, 100% vs. 97% were satisfied with the test, 97% vs. 94% would recommend the same test, and 100% vs. 76% would choose the same test again.

CONCLUSION

Adult incarcerated men in Canada were both more likely to accept OraquickⓇ compared to venipuncture, and to choose OraquickⓇ for future HCV screening.