Hep B care.
It’s primary care, too.
Hepatitis B Referral and Clinical Support Resources
Enhancing clinical care and primary care management of hepatitis B
This suite of resources has been developed to support primary care clinicians at the time of diagnosis or engagement through what needs to happen next, as well as options for ongoing management and care.
Hepatitis B can be managed and treated both by specialists in the tertiary setting and Hepatitis s100 community prescribers in the primary care setting. HBV s100 community prescribers have completed additional training and ongoing accreditation to be authorised to prescribe the Highly Specialised Drugs for hepatitis B and are specialized in monitoring and management.
No matter where you and your patient are on the journey, these resources will guide you through the clinical next steps, ascertaining the appropriateness of a primary care referral, discussing this with your patient and providing them with information as well as practical tools to assist with intercollegiate communication.
Step 1
Understand the clinical next steps around diagnosis and follow up.
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 1: Understand the clinical next steps around diagnosis and follow up
Relevant Resources
Step 2: Detemine whether referral to hepatitis B s100 community prescriber is appropriate
Relevant Resources
The Hepatitis B Referral Options tool is an interactive resource that guides you through a number of questions to determine the best referral options for your patient. This tool will help you decide whether a primary care referral to an s100 prescriber is appropriate, or if a tertiary referral to a specialist is required.
Supplementary Resources
Step 3: Discuss this decision with your patient
This video models two different examples of delivering a diagnosis – one that would be more likely to result in negative outcomes, with the other more positive.
Key learnings
- The impacts hepatitis B can have and why it’s important to monitor liver health without causing undue concern and worry
- Discussing transmission risks
- Possible negative effects of a diagnosis discussion that isn’t considerate
- The importance of informed consent
- Establishing whether or not an interpreter is required.
This video addresses common questions and information sought by patients at the time of diagnosis.
Key learnings
- How a positive diagnosis is understood by their patient and the kind of information patients want to know when they first receive the diagnosis.
- Impact of changing lifestyle factors
- Benefits of hearing from other community members
This video covers the care options available, how to discuss this with your patient, and considerations that need to be made when providing this information.
Key learnings
- Pros and cons of community prescribing
- Emotional considerations around discussing care options
- Situations where it is and isn’t appropriate to refer to a community prescriber and where to find community prescribers
Step 4: Provide resources to your patient
Relevant Resources
This resource was developed by Hepatitis Australia to explain options for care. It is available in English, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean. You can print this document and offer it to your patient at the time of consultation. ASHM and Hepatitis Australia acknowledge the various community members who provided input into the development and translation of this resource.
Other Community Resources
HepBCommunity.org is a global peer-led, volunteer-driven forum to support those living with and affected by hepatitis B. They are dedicated to connecting people affected by hep B with one another and with verified experts in the field who provide trustworthy and accurate advice.
The National Hepatitis Infoline provides confidential, free and localised viral hepatitis information and support services to anyone, anywhere in Australia. Phone 1800 437 222 or visit NationalHepatitisInfoline.org.au
Step 5: Find and refer your patient to a hepatitis B s100 community prescriber
In most cases only accredited HBV s100 prescribers and hospital specialists can prescribe medication for hepatitis B. In circumstances where it is impractical to get a prescription from a specialist other medical practitioners can prescribe maintenance therapy, if this has been agreed to by the specialist.
Relevant Resources
Clinical Communication Tools
