Welcome to weekend reading, its a cold Sunday here in Michigan, hope its warmer in your part of the world. Today we have an article and podcast for the people of Australia, covering the negative impact of stigma and discrimination associated with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Barriers To Treatment
Let's start with a review of an Australian study published in PLOS One over at NAM, titled: Barriers to HCV treatment access from the drug user's point of view: stigma, complex lives and damaged veins, written by Keith Alcorn. According to the PLOS One study, based on patient interviews, some participants reported they were treated poorly by health care professionals, for instance, physicians and pharmacists. An excerpt for the study;
Finding supportive and non-judgmental care
Participants discussed their experiences of stigma and discrimination in health care settings. Examples included emergency doctors telling participants they ‘were sick of dealing with you junkies’ (male, group 3, 34 years) and pharmacists making participants wait for lengthy periods before being served, speaking to them in a poor manner and generally not observing common courtesies to customers with injecting histories. Often, discussion of stigma centred around participants’ sense that clinicians viewed them as inappropriate clients to be receiving DAA treatment, which resulted in the internalization of these messages.
Follow NAM on Twitter, connect on Facebook, or sign up for Email updates. I still hide it, no matter what… I just won’t do it…um, and yeah that’s from fear of judgment I’d say but I don’t think it would have really mattered. It’s more from me… it’s the stigma within as much as the stigma without. (male, group 4, 56 years)
New Podcast - Burden Of Disclosure
Over at Hepatitis Victoria, Judith Gorst, a practice nurse and counsellor, talks about stigma and discrimination surrounding blood-borne infections; especially when disclosing status to friends, family and health care professionals. Listen below or here: Stigma & healthcare: Should you disclose your hepatitis status?
Listen To All Podcasts
Viral Hepatitis Playlist: Hepatitis Victoria
Hepatitis Victoria - Stigma and Discrimination
Unfortunately, people knowing, or thinking, you have hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, can mean they treat you differently to other people. This can be distressing, and contribute to internal feelings of shame or other unpleasant feelings. It can also have a real effect on your social experiences, including the services you are provided with, and the quality of those services.
We aim to give you more information about stigma and discrimination: what it means; when you have to disclose you have hepatitis B and/or C; what your rights are if someone has treated you poorly; and, issues to consider if you work with people who have hepatitis B and/or C.
Visit Hepatitis Victoria, follow on Twitter , view the Latest Newsletter or Subscribe to their mailing list
Thanks for stopping by!
Tina
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