New Standards for the Provision of Medical Care to Adults and Children with Viral Hepatitis B and C have been adopted. They will significantly expand patients’ access to treatment for these infections.
On January 15, the Ministry of Health approved new Standards of Medical Care for Viral Hepatitis.
In total, there are four separate Standards:
These documents are based on best international practices—they update and simplify diagnostic and treatment algorithms, introduce new treatment regimens, prioritize disease prevention, and enable faster identification of the need for treatment in patients who require it, without waiting for severe liver damage to occur.
Changes to the Standards will ensure early detection of patients with viral hepatitis, reduce the number of patients lost to follow-up, and facilitate the immediate initiation of treatment.
A particular benefit is the simplification of the patient’s care pathway. For example, whereas previously a series of costly specific tests was required before a doctor could prescribe a treatment regimen, now the treating physician can prescribe medication immediately after confirming the diagnosis with the minimum necessary additional testing. This way, patients will not waste their time and money on expensive tests. This was the most common reason why patients did not seek treatment.
Another major breakthrough is that, from now on, the Standards allow any physician who has undergone the appropriate training to treat viral hepatitis. This will also help bring services closer to patients and improve access to treatment.
The new Standards place particular emphasis on measures to prevent viral hepatitis infection and define the list of individuals for whom testing is recommended: a list of individuals who should be tested for viral hepatitis B has been established, and it is specified that all individuals should be screened for viral hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime and undergo regular repeat testing if risk factors are present.
The new Standards repeal outdated unified clinical protocols that contained recommendations for the use of obsolete treatment regimens (pegylated interferons) and a complex screening algorithm.
In general, the Standards address key issues related to:
According to information from the Press Service of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
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