| Title |
Experiences of liver health related uncertainty and self-reported stress among people who inject drugs living with hepatitis C virus: a qualitative study
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
BMC Infectious Diseases, April 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1186/s12879-018-3057-1 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Stelliana Goutzamanis, Joseph S. Doyle, Alexander Thompson, Paul Dietze, Margaret Hellard, Peter Higgs, on behalf of the TAP study group |
| Abstract |
People who inject drugs (PWID) are most at risk of hepatitis C virus infection in Australia. The introduction of transient elastography (TE) (measuring hepatitis fibrosis) and direct acting antiviral medications will likely alter the experience of living with hepatitis C. We aimed to explore positive and negative influences on wellbeing and stress among PWID with hepatitis C. The Treatment and Prevention (TAP) study examines the feasibility of treating hepatitis C mono-infected PWID in community settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 purposively recruited TAP participants. Participants were aware of their hepatitis C seropositive status and had received fibrosis assessment (measured by TE) prior to interview. Questions were open-ended, focusing on the impact of health status on wellbeing and self-reported stress. Interviews were voice recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed, guided by Mishel's (1988) theory of Uncertainty in Illness. In line with Mishel's theory of Uncertainty in Illness all participants reported hepatitis C-related uncertainty, particularly mis-information or a lack of knowledge surrounding liver health and the meaning of TE results. Those with greater fibrosis experienced an extra layer of prognostic uncertainty. Experiences of uncertainty were a key motivation to seek treatment, which was seen as a way to regain some stability in life. Treatment completion alleviated hepatitis C-related stress, and promoted feelings of empowerment and confidence in addressing other life challenges. TE scores seemingly provide some certainty. However, when paired with limited knowledge, particularly among people with severe fibrosis, TE may be a source of uncertainty and increased personal stress. This suggests the need for simple education programs and resources on liver health to minimise stress. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 8 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 3 | 38% |
| United States | 2 | 25% |
| Curaçao | 1 | 13% |
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 1 | 13% |
| Unknown | 1 | 13% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 5 | 63% |
| Scientists | 2 | 25% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 13% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 55 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 55 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 8 | 15% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 13% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 13% |
| Researcher | 4 | 7% |
| Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 5% |
| Other | 7 | 13% |
| Unknown | 19 | 35% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing and Health Professions | 10 | 18% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 7 | 13% |
| Psychology | 5 | 9% |
| Social Sciences | 4 | 7% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 2 | 4% |
| Other | 8 | 15% |
| Unknown | 19 | 35% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 14. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 04 April 2019.
All research outputs
#2,272,754
of 23,321,213 outputs
Outputs from BMC Infectious Diseases
#671
of 7,806 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#50,566
of 329,759 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Infectious Diseases
#10
of 136 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,321,213 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 90th percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 7,806 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 10.3. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 91% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 136 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 93% of its contemporaries.