Experiences of Hope after Treatment of Hepatitis C Infection-A Qualitative Study

Knut Tore Sælør; Siv-Elin Leirvaag Carlsen; Lars Thore Fadnes; Lennart Lorås

doi:10.3390/ijerph192315732

Experiences of Hope after Treatment of Hepatitis C Infection-A Qualitative Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 26;19(23):15732. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315732.

Authors

Knut Tore Sælør¹, Siv-Elin Leirvaag Carlsen², Lars Thore Fadnes^{3

4}, Lennart Lorås⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health, Social and Welfare Studies, Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3007 Drammen, Norway.
² Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
³ Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
⁴ Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, 5009 Bergen, Norway.
⁵ Department of Welfare and Participation, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5063 Bergen, Norway.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of hope people had after undergoing treatment for a hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). Between October 2019 and May 2020, 19 one-on-one interviews were conducted with people who inject drugs and had undergone HCV treatment. All participants had completed treatment and were documented as being virus-free. Data were audio recorded and then transcribed verbatim and analysed; a method inspired by reflexive thematic analysis. Those interviewed conveyed rich and nuanced descriptions of experiences of a life with HCV. Through the course of the analysis we developed four themes. The themes were formulated as metaphors aimed at capturing commonalities about how the participants seemed to "turn their gaze" after receiving HCV treatment: (1) turning their gaze backward; (2) turning their gaze inwards; (3) turning their gaze toward others and (4) turning their gaze forward. Participants' descriptions of their experiences relating to HCV were somewhat gloomy, and HCV treatment seemed to inspire hope and a brighter outlook on several areas of life.

Keywords: HCV treatment; hepatitis C; hope; recovery; substance abuse.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Hepacivirus
Hepatitis C* / drug therapy
Humans
Qualitative Research
Substance Abuse, Intravenous*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by The Research Council of Norway (BEHANDLING, contract no. 269855) and the Western Norway Regional Health Authority (“Åpen prosjektstøtte”) with the Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway as the responsible institution. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The authors are funded by their respective affiliations.