Introduction
Screening and prevention play a significant role in combating the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Last year the US Preventative Services Task Force (2020) updated their recommendations for screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) contagion in adult and adolescent persons at increased risk of having diseases related to human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV). Although STIs affect all populations within the life span, they are particularly prevalent among adolescents.
It is due to social, biological, and economic factors (STDs in adolescents and young adults, 2019). The health care institution must protect these and all other categories of the population. This work aims to analyze and discuss one of the recent measures, namely the new guidelines, taken by the US Preventive Services Task Force to prevent the spread of HBV infection.
Teenagers and Adults with Hepatitis B Virus Screening Recommendations Outline
Here are the current guidelines for screening for hepatitis B virus in teenagers and adult persons:
- Screening should be offered and provided to adolescent and adult populations suspected of HBV infection within them.
- The service’s target populations are asymptomatic, non-pregnant, and even vaccinated teenagers and adults with a higher chance of being HBV infected.
- The first stage of the screening procedure should be performed using hepatitis B surface antigen tests.
- The second stage is a confirmatory test for the virus.
- Clinicians should pay special attention to:
- People from countries of Africa, Asia, South America, and the Pacific Islands.
- Unvaccinated people from the United States (US).
- Persons with (HIV).
- People who use injected drugs.
- Homosexual biological men with active sex life.
- Individuals who have household or sexual contact with HBV-positive persons.
- Clinicians should perform screening procedures periodically.
Analysis of the Evidence-Based Grade
US Preventative Services Task Force gives the recommendation a Grade B. It means that the organization recommends this service and strongly advises medical practitioners to provide it to patients (Grade definitions, 2018). Based on the description of the supporting evidence, it is safe to say that the level of evidence for these guidelines is 2a. The evidence of the 2a category is assigned to a “systematic review of (homogeneous) cohort studies” (Evidence-based medicine: Levels of evidence, 2021, para. 2).
US Preventive Services Task Force (2020) notes that they “examined evidence from new randomized clinical trials and cohort studies” (p. 2418). A related article, namely Screening for Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Nonpregnant Adolescents And Adults: Updated Evidence Report And Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force by Chou et al. (2020), follows the same methodology. Description of study selection is proof of it.
Guidelines and Its Implementation
For recommendations to be effective, they must be followed by medical professionals. Over the past decade, several of the largest US health care organizations have released new guidelines for screening teenagers and adult persons. They are “The CDC, the American College of Physicians, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases” (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2020, p. 2421).
It can be said that health care providers are currently following recommendations. Moreover, in 2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “funded three programs to develop hepatitis B testing and linkage-to-care programs serving non-US-born persons during 2014–2017” (Harris et al., 2018, p. 541). One can say that this shows a new and comprehensive approach to combat the spread of HIV infections in the US.
References
Chou, R., Blazina, I., Bougatsos, C., Holmes, R., Selph, S., Grusing, S., & Jou, J. (2020). Screening for hepatitis B virus infection in nonpregnant adolescents and adults: Updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA, 324(23), 2423-2436. Web.
Evidence-based medicine: Levels of evidence. (2021). Stony Brook University Libraries. Web.
Grade definitions. (2018). U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Web.
Harris, A. M., Link-Gelles, R., Kim, K., Chandrasekar, E., Wang, S., Bannister, N., Pong, P., Chak, E., Chen, M. S., Jr., Bowlus, C., & Nelson, N. P. (2018). Community-based services to improve testing and linkage to care among non–US-born persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection—three US programs. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(19), 541-546. Web.
US Preventive Services Task Force. (2020). Screening for hepatitis B virus infection in adolescents and adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 324(23), 2415-2422. Web.