Evaluating an Electronic Medical Record Alert for Triple Screening of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C in Primary Care Encounters

What This Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating an electronic medical record EMR alert system designed to improve screening for three bloodborne viruses HIV, hepatitis B virus HBV, and hepatitis C virus HCV. The study focuses on primary care providers who will have their patient encounters randomly assigned to either receive no alert standard care or an alert prompting triple testing for these viruses. This approach aims to compare diagnosis rates, missed cases, and laboratory costs between the two encounter types over time. The intervention involves an EMR alert linked to an order panel for screening blood tests for all three viruses. When a provider orders a screening test for any one of these viruses during an intervention encounter, the alert triggers and pre-selects orders for all three tests. Providers can accept or dismiss the alert before finalizing orders. Each provider will experience both control and intervention encounters randomly throughout the study period. Participants in the study are primary care providers who consent to participate and meet experience and practice continuity criteria. The study will observe and compare screening tests, virus prevalence and incidence, patient encounters needed for diagnosis and care linkage, and cost efficiency over a 24-month period starting 12 months before enrollment and continuing up to one year after. The study is conducted without blinding and monitors outcomes based on provider encounters rather than individual patients.

HIV/HBV/HCV Triple Screening in Primary Care