Effect Of Implementing a Teaching Unit On The Severity Of The Side Effects Of Interferon And Ribavirin And Sofosbuvir Triple Therapy Among Hepatitis c Patients

Background: Hepatitis C virus is treatable disease, but the current triple therapy is with several well-described side effects that are dominated by fatigue, influenza-like symptoms, hematologic abnormalities, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Developing strategies that maximize adherence will likely improve the efficacy of currently available HCV therapy. One of the most effective strategies is patients’ education related treatment especially side effects of the HCV therapy and self-care practices to manage them. Aims: to determine the effect of implementing a teaching unit on the severity of the side effects of (triple therapy), interferon, ribavirin and sofosbuvir among patients with hepatitis C. Study Design: quasi experimental design was utilized (Pre posttest control trial). Setting: The present study was conducted at the Outpatient Clinics of Hepatology Center in El-. kabary General Hospital and in The Main University (El-Miry) hospital. Subjects: Forty adult patients with HCV infection were assigned randomly and were scheduled for the first dose of triple therapy. Tools: three tools were used for this study. Tool I: Hepatitis C Virus Patient's Knowledge Structured Interview Schedule to assess patients' knowledge related to HCV, and its therapy, side effects, as well as self-care practices for each side effect. Tool II: Triple therapy side effects, severity of side effects and Patients' self - care practices structured interview schedule. Tool III: Fatigue Severity Scale. Results: there is a highly statistically significant difference between the studied patients' total knowledge scores pre implementation of teaching unit and 4- and 8-weeks post implementation of teaching unit. There is no significant difference between score of self-care practices with scores of severities of side effects pre and 4 weeks post implementation of teaching unit. While there is significant difference between them 8 weeks post implementation of teaching unit. Conclusion: all knowledge scores of the studied patients with hepatitis C virus related to HCV infection were highly statistically improved post implementation of the teaching unit, since all Ps were < 0.001 except for genotypes of HCV (P= 0.004). There is significant difference between score of self-care practices with scores of severities of side effects pre and post 8 weeks after implementation of teaching unit (p=0.023). Recommendations: well developed and specific teaching unit should be employed to all patients in suitable environment that supported with more audiovisual materials and should be initiated and ended before implementation of HCV triple therapy.