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Table 1 Participant characteristics, healthcare experiences, barriers to care, and self-reported substance use history (N = 11)

From: A qualitative study of perceived barriers to hepatitis C care among people who did not attend appointments in the non-urban US South

Characteristic N (%)
Demographic characteristics  
Age group  
 20–39 years 3 (27)
 40–59 years 5 (45)
 ≥ 60 years 3 (27)
Sex  
 Male 7 (64)
 Female 4 (36)
Race  
 White 9 (82)
 Black 1 (9)
 Indian American 1 (9)
Referral year  
 2015 2 (18)
 2016 1 (9)
 2017 6 (55)
 2018 3 (27)
Healthcare experiences  
Healthcare access  
 Has an established primary care provider 6 (55)
 Visited emergency room in past year 6 (55)
 Has seen any doctor in past year 10 (91)
Health insurance status  
 Uninsured 4 (36)
 Insured 7 (64)
  Private insurance 3 (27)
  Medicaid 3 (37)
  Medicare 1 (9)
Setting of HCV diagnosis  
 Routine bloodwork by physician 5 (45)
 Donating blood 2 (18)
 Bloodwork while incarcerated 2 (18)
 Screening at a methadone program 1 (9)
Knowledge of hepatitis C status 11 (100)
 Knowledge of hepatitis C specialty referral 11 (100)
Barriers to care  
Unreliable transportation  
 Yes 5 (45)
 No 6 (55)
Unstable housinga  
 Yes 4 (36)
 No 7 (64)
Rating of own health  
 Excellent 0 (0)
 Very good 3 (27)
Good 4 (36)
 Fair 2 (18)
 Poor 2 (18)
Trust in medical systemb, possible scores 5 to 25  
 Median score [interquartile range] 18 [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
 Minimum score 9
 Maximum score 25
Substance use history  
Drug usec  
 In the past month 3 (27)
 In past year 5 (45)
Alcohol Used  
 In the past month 2 (18)
 In past year 4 (36)
Treatment for substance use disorder  
Any prior treatment 6 (55)
Alcohol 2 (18)
 Drug use 3 (36)
 Both 1 (9)
No prior treatment 5 (45)
  1. LTC linkage to care
  2. aHousing instability defined as moving 2 or more times in the past 6 months or concerned about housing stability in the upcoming 6 months [29, 30]
  3. bTrust in medical system is quantified based on response to five questions and potential scores can range from 5 to 25, with higher scores indicating more trust [27]
  4. cDrug screen single question, “How many times in the past month have you used an illegal drug or used a prescription medication for non-medical reasons?”, Any response ≥ 1 time is positive for drug use [31]
  5. dAlcohol single question screen, How many times in the past month have you had X or more drinks in a day?, (X = 5 for men, X = 4 for women) [32]
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Harm Reduction Journal

ISSN: 1477-7517