Patient and healthcare provider perceptions of acceptability of fingerstick point-of-care hepatitis C testing at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Australia

Hepatitis C (HCV) is highly prevalent in First Nations communities globally. Barriers in the uptake of testing and treatment create challenges to realise elimination of HCV in these communities. In efforts to reduce barriers to testing and treatment, the SCALE-C study implemented an HCV test-and-treat intervention integrating point-of-care HCV testing and FibroScan®. SCALE-C was carried out at four Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS; renowned for providing culturally safe care) in four regional towns in Australia. This qualitative analysis sought to understand healthcare provider and patient perceptions of acceptability of a community-based HCV test-and-treat intervention within ACCHS.