Table 3.
Pooled relative and absolute effects of HCV testing interventions
| Outcome (median length of follow-up) | Population (studies) | Effect size (95 % CI) | I2 | Baseline risk per 10,000 population | Anticipated absolute effects per 10,000 population (95 % CI) | Anticipated absolute effects per 10,000 if HCV prevalence is 10 % | Anticipated absolute effects per 10,000 if HCV prevalence is 50 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested for HCV among the eligible population (N/A) | 7,435,283 (16 studies) | 2.90 (2.01, 4.17) | 100 % | 59 tests conducteda | 112 more HCV antibody tests (from 59 more to 186 more)a | N/A | N/A |
| HCV positive cases detected among the eligible population (N/A) | 7,424,451 (14 studies) | 1.66 (1.27, 2.16) | 76 % | 2 cases detecteda | 1 more case detected (from 0 more to 2 more)a | 5 more cases detected (from 2 more to 8 more) | 23 more cases detected(from 9 more to 40 more) |
| Referral to specialist among HCV positive population (6 months) | 138 (1 study) | 3.01 (1.79, 5.07) | N/A | 2,000 referrals to specialistb | 4,020 more referrals (from 1,580 more to 8,140 more)b | 433 more referrals (from 157 to 913 more) | 1,298 more referrals (from 470 to 2,739 more) |
| Attendance at specialist among HCV positive population (6 months) | 138 (1 study) | 3.66 (1.92, 6.99) | N/A | 1,385 attending a specialistb | 3,683 more attendances (from 1,274 more to 8,294 more)b | 287 more attendances (from 94 to 665 more) | 1,722 more attendances(from 561 to 3,991 more) |
| Commenced treatment among HCV positive population (2 years) | 683 (4 studies) | 3.25 (1.06, 9.95) | 0 % | 88 commencing treatmentb | 197 more commencing (from 53 more to 785 more)b | 17 more commencing (from 0 more to 67more) | 67 more commencing (from 1 more to 268 more) |
| SVR among HCV positive population (3 years, 6 months) | 515 (2 studies) | 1.35 (0.26, 7.09) | 0 % | 76 achieving an SVRb | 27 more achieving SVR (from 56 fewer to 465 more)b | 2 more SVRs (from 5 fewer to 43 more) | 9 more SVRs (from 21 fewer to 170 more) |
Bold type denotes p value < 0.05
N/A not applicable
aPer 10,000 population eligible for testing
bPer 10,000 HCV positive population