A key barrier to hepatitis C treatment initiation is the need for phlebotomy prior to treatment, a sometimes difficult process for patients with scarring from current or previous injection drug use. To solve this problem, OHSU’s PATHS development team is piloting the use of commercially available, laboratory-validated dried blood spot (DBS) tests to confirm active HCV. DBS testing involves pricking a finger and blotting blood samples on filter paper collection cards that are mailed to a specialty lab for testing.
As part of the DBS pilot, OHSU is conducting a trial to evaluate the impact of DBS testing in comparison to phlebotomy within PATHS in Oregon. To do this, we have assigned each PATHS site to either DBS or Usual Care (phlebotomy) for confirmatory testing. The documents below are the consent sheets for prospective participants in the study.