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National Prisons Hepatitis Education Project: Research Evaluation

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The National Prisons Hepatitis Education Program (HepPEd Program) is a national, prison-based hepatitis C health literacy education program for healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison. The HepPEd Program aims to improve the public health literacy of the prison sector regarding hepatitis C in prisons. The HepPEd: Research Evaluation aims to evaluate the impact of the HepPEd Program on HCV testing and treatment uptake amongst people incarcerated in Australian prisons, as well as changes in knowledge, attitudes, and capabilities of healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison.

The study is a controlled before and after study being conducted in 3-6 correctional centres in Australia.

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Study details:

The National Prisons Hepatitis Education Program (HepPEd Program) is a national, prison-based hepatitis C health literacy education program for healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison. The broad goal of HepPEd: Research Evaluation is to measure the impact of a prison-specific hepatitis C (HCV) education program (the HepPEd Program) on enhancing HCV testing and treatment rates in Australian prisons. The HepPEd Program aims to improve HCV testing and treatment rates by enhancing the public health literacy of the prison sector regarding HCV in the prisons (that is the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours), and specifically targets the three key audience groups from the prison setting: healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison.

The study will be conducted as a prison-level, controlled before-and-after trial with a primary objective of evaluating the impact of the HepPEd Program on HCV treatment uptake amongst people incarcerated in Australian prisons. Three to six Australian correctional centres will be selected to participate in the 9-month study. Each correctional centre will have a 3-month period of pre-intervention surveillance, involving monthly observation of HCV treatment uptake under existing operations.

This will be followed by a three-month period of education delivery of the HepPEd Program (the 'education intervention'). The monthly surveillance data collection will continue during the intervention period. Finally, each correctional centre will have another 3-month period of post-intervention surveillance, again involving monthly surveillance of HCV treatment rates.

Surveys will be conducted with members from each target audience group before and after the education intervention and dried blood spot testing will be conducted with members from the people in prison group to assess baseline HCV prevalence before the education intervention.

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Eligibility criteria

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Inclusion criteria

Participating prison sites must have a prisoner population of 400-600 inmates (assumed mean 500); and an existing prison-based hepatitis service undertaking both HCV testing and treatment.

Prisoners must be currently incarcerated in a participating correctional centre; anticipate being in the participating correctional centre for >12 months; be considered as capable and willing, and well-respected amongst their peers; and have approval from custodial authorities to participate as a peer educator.

Correctional officers must be currently working in a participating correctional centre; and be considered as capable and willing, and well-respected amongst their peers.

Prisoners must be over the age of 18 years; be currently incarcerated in a participating correctional centre; have sufficient English comprehension skills to understand the survey questions; and be willing and able to provide written informed consent.

Healthcare providers and correctional officers must be currently working in a participating correctional centre.

Eligibility

Age eligible for study : 18 and older

Healthy volunteers accepted : Yes

Gender eligible for study: All

Things to know

Study dates

Study start: 2023-09-04

Primary completion: 2024-07-01

Study completion finish: 2024-12-01

Study type

OTHER

Phase

Trial ID

NCT05942937

Intervention or treatment

OTHER: Education Intervention (The HepPEd Program)

Conditions

• HCV

Condition: HCV
OTHER: Education Intervention (The HepPEd Program)
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia and more
Sponsor: Kirby Institute

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Find a site

Closest Location:

Capricornia Correctional Centre

Research sites nearby

Select from list below to view details:

Capricornia Correctional Centre
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Risdon Prison Complex
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Participant Group/Arm	Intervention/Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Whole-of-prison education intervention The HepPEd Program will saturate the entire prison during a 3-month intervention phase.	OTHER: Education Intervention (The HepPEd Program) All healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison (HepPEd Program target audience groups) at each participating site are anticipated to be exposed to the HepPEd Program over the course of the three-month education intervention phase. The HepPEd Program involves a suite of multi-modal resources targeting each target audience group and a peer education program (for correctional officer and people in prison groups only). The HepPEd Program resources will be delivered in an informal, mass education-style, as well as in peer to peer format.

Participant Group/Arm

Intervention/Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL: Whole-of-prison education intervention

The HepPEd Program will saturate the entire prison during a 3-month intervention phase.

OTHER: Education Intervention (The HepPEd Program)

All healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison (HepPEd Program target audience groups) at each participating site are anticipated to be exposed to the HepPEd Program over the course of the three-month education intervention phase.
The HepPEd Program involves a suite of multi-modal resources targeting each target audience group and a peer education program (for correctional officer and people in prison groups only). The HepPEd Program resources will be delivered in an informal, mass education-style, as well as in peer to peer format.

What is the study measuring?

Primary outcome

Primary Outcome Measure	Primary Outcome Description	Primary Outcome Time Frame
The change in the proportion of prisoners treated for HCV before and after the education intervention.	This will be measured by calculating the change in HCV treatment rates before and after the education intervention.	9 months from baseline

Secondary outcome

Secondary Outcome Measure	Secondary Outcome Description	Secondary Outcome Time Frame
The proportion of prisoners tested for HCV before and after the education intervention.	This will be measured by calculating the change in HCV testing rates before and after the education intervention.	9 months from baseline
The health literacy (knowledge, attitudes, and capabilities) amongst target audience groups (healthcare providers, correctional officers, and people in prison) before and after the education intervention.	This will be measured by assessing the change in health literacy before and after the education intervention.	9 months from baseline
The acceptability, utility, and impact of the HepPEd Program.	This is measured by surveys, before and after the education intervention.	9 months from baseline
The dose, reach, and fidelity of the HepPEd Program.	This is measured by surveys, before and after the education intervention.	9 months from baseline

Frequently Asked Questions

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References

Clinical Trials Gov: National Prisons Hepatitis Education Project: Research Evaluation