A Rapid Review of Interventions to Increase Hepatitis B Testing, Treatment, and Monitoring among Migrants Living in Australia

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) disproportionately affects migrants with low health literacy and help-seeking behaviour living in high-income countries. Evidence of effective interventions is required to increase hepatitis B (HBV) testing, treatment, and monitoring. Available evidence from Medline, Embase, Scopus, Google, and Google Scholar was identified, collated, and synthesised. Inclusion criteria included grey and peer-reviewed literature published in English between Janu-ary 2012 and December 2021. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were excluded. Seventeen peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. Most interventions were conducted at the individual level and were typically outreach testing initiatives. One study was conducted at a structural level. All studies were successful in encouraging HBV screening uptake, and 10 studies demonstrated effective linkage to care. Two studies showed evidence of monitoring participants post-intervention. Most interventions had more female than male participants. Interventions conducted across community and clinical-based settings had more participants engage in screening and/or linkage to care in community settings. Effective interventions to prevent HBV transmission and CHB-related morbidity and mortality were approaches that utilised linguistic-specific and culturally appropriate resources to successfully engage migrants. Community outreach pro-grammes that educate participants about HBV transmission, screening, and treatment can promote community dialogue and understanding to reduce stigma and discrimination.