Report on the National Hepatitis Day
On 1 October, the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam was buzzing with around 330 people involved in the healthcare of patients with viral hepatitis. During plenary and parallel sessions, participants exchanged ideas regarding expertise and developments in their own fields. A colourful and varied range of subjects was covered, ranging from clinical policy and monitoring to financing and cost-effectiveness. Despite the different angles from which the various sessions were approached, one message was clear throughout: a call for more social awareness and interprofessional collaboration.
Now that new treatment options have become available for individuals infected with hepatitis C, it is important to raise awareness among the general population so that infected individuals can be identified. In the Netherlands, 28,000 individuals are estimated to be infected with hepatitis C, an as yet unknown number of whom are unaware that they are infected. Moreover, during the last 15 years, the Netherlands has seen an increase in mortality due to the effects of chronic hepatitis B and C. With the recently available effective therapies, these deaths should be largely avoidable. However, to reduce viral hepatitis-related mortality, it is also essential that stakeholders formulate common goals and tackle the problem together. Two examples of fruitful collaborations were presented at the conference: the National Hepatitis Plan and the HCV Guideline.
National Hepatitis Plan
During this year’s event, special attention was paid to the National Hepatitis Plan, which was conceived during the 2014 National Hepatitis Day and is currently in development. Three solution-oriented key themes were discussed: national screening, regional organisation of hepatitis care, and the hepatitis awareness agenda. The audience could make their voices heard by voting on various statements, with 85% supporting the National Hepatitis Plan.
HCV Guidelines
The aim of the HCV guidelines is to promote uniformity and, thus, quality within hepatitis C treatment in the Netherlands. To ensure that the newly available drugs are effectively and appropriately used in practice, various professional organisations have collectively undertaken to update the Hepatitis C guidelines published in 2014. These guidelines cover both patients with HCV mono-infection and those with HIV/HCV co-infection, and were set up by, and on behalf of, the Netherlands Society of Internal Medicine (NIV), the Dutch Association of HIV-Treating Physicians (NVHB), the Dutch Association for Specialists in Gastroenterology an Hepatology (NVMDL), the Dutch Association of Hepatology (NVH) and the Dutch Association of Hospital Pharmicists (NVZA). The guidelines are updated every 3 months and can be accessed through www.hcvrichtsnoer.nl.
Overall, it was a stimulating and thought-provoking day. We look forward to further reports of successful collaborations and, above all, successful treatments, at the 2016 edition of the National Hepatitis Day.