A randomized controlled trial enhancing viral hepatitis testing in primary care via digital crowdsourced intervention

Abstract Despite the availability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in primary care, testing rates in China remain low. Social media is an inexpensive means of disseminating information and could facilitate hepatitis testing promotion. We evaluated the capacity of digita...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: William C. W. Wong, Gifty Marley, Jingjing Li, Weihui Yan, Po-lin Chan, Joseph D. Tucker, Weiming Tang, Yuxin Ni, Dan Dan Cheng, Lou Cong, Wai-Kay Seto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-07-01
Series:npj Digital Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-022-00645-2
Description
Summary:Abstract Despite the availability of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing in primary care, testing rates in China remain low. Social media is an inexpensive means of disseminating information and could facilitate hepatitis testing promotion. We evaluated the capacity of digitally crowdsourced materials to promote HBV/HCV testing uptake via a randomized controlled trial (identifier: ChiCTR1900025771), which enrolled 750 Chinese primary care patients. We randomized patients (1:1) to receive crowdsourced HBV/HCV promotion materials through social media or facility-based care without promotional materials for four weeks. Exposure to all intervention materials was associated with increased odds of HBV (aOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.09–3.00) and HCV (aOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.29–2.99) testing compared to facility-based care. There was a significant reduction in hepatitis stigma among intervention group participants (HBV slope: −0.15, p < 0.05; and HCV slope: −0.13, p < 0.05). Digitally crowdsourced promotion messages could enhance hepatitis testing uptake and should be considered in hepatitis reduction strategies. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR1900025771) on September 9, 2019. Available from: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=42788
ISSN:2398-6352