Results from a prospective study of individuals' symptoms and patient activation after hepatitis C treatment

The treatment of the hepatitis C virus has been revolutionized by the discovery of direct-acting antiviral medications, which offer more effective treatment with fewer potential side effects. Few studies have examined changes in patient-reported outcomes in individuals undergoing treatment for the hepatitis C virus in the immediate time period after the first treatment (within 1 month). This study is one of the first to use quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate changes in quality of life, patient activation, and symptom burden in adults undergoing treatment for hepatitis C virus with direct-acting antiviral medications. Seventy-three patients were followed in a prospective, longitudinal mixed-methods design. Changes pre and posttreatment in quality of life, patient activation, and symptom burden were very small in magnitude when looking across the entire sample. However, patients with lower self-reported health at baseline reported improved physical and psychological functioning 1-month posttreatment. Patients with higher self-reported health at baseline reported decreased general health posttreatment, although these effects were small. Qualitative results suggested that most patients found symptoms to be manageable despite experiencing both psychological and physical symptoms during treatment. We also found that 25% of patients had low levels of patient activation and may lack the basic knowledge and confidence to be an active participant in their health care. These findings suggest that patients may benefit from tailored information based on current health status about what to expect during and immediately after beginning direct-acting antiviral medication treatment.