Using database linkages to monitor the continuum of care for hepatitis C virus among syringe exchange clients: Experience from a pilot intervention

Because many people who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and have poor access to medical care, many HCV-infected PWID remain undiagnosed and unaccounted for in surveillance systems. Syringe exchange programs (SEPs) are an under-utilized resource for collecting information missing from surveillance systems. Partnerships with public health agencies represent a potentially innovative approach to studying the HCV epidemic for PWID. The goal of this study was to characterize the HCV care continuum for a cohort of PWID using database linkages.