Introduction: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are an opportunity for hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination. Strategies are needed to diagnose new patients and to attract those diagnosed without evaluation. Patients with other chronic viral diseases who receive satisfactory treatment promote referral of other patients for evaluation. Our aim was to evaluate whether patients who have been treated with DAAs would recommend follow-up and treatment to other patients as well as the characteristics that influence this decision.
Patients and methods: Two-hundred and 2HCV-infected patients treated with DAAs were included. Patients were asked about whether they knew other infected people and their willingness to share their experience. A general satisfaction survey and a specific HCV satisfaction survey were carried out. Demographic, socioeconomic and HCV infection variables were recorded.
Results: Despite the fact that 54.4% of the patients reported knowing others infected, 34.2% would not fully agree to share their experience. The analysis of general and specific satisfaction showed that patients who shared their experience mentioned a perception of greater care from the specialist (4.7±0.4 vs. 4.3±0.6, P=.001) and had more information on treatment expectations (4.6±0.5 vs. 4.0±0.7, P=.001) and social support (4.5±0.7 vs. 4.0±0.8, P=.001).
Conclusions: The perception by treated patients of general satisfaction with the healthcare process and information about benefits influences the degree of recommendation to other infected people. Knowledge about treatment and perception of improvement in health of treated patients should be enhanced as it can contribute to increasing referrals to specialized consultation.
Keywords: Antivirales acción directa; Derivación; Direct-acting antivirals; Hepatitis C; Recommendation; Satisfacción; Satisfaction.
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