The New York State Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This course has been awarded 2 contact hours.

Chronic Hepatitis C (HCV) now ranks on our priority list of significant public health problems. About 70% of persons infected with chronic HCV develop chronic liver disease, which is the 12th leading cause of death in adults in the US (CDC, 2003). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that approximately 4 million Americans are currently infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) (CDC, 2003). Healthcare workers need a double focus on this problem. First, they must understand the routes of infection, be able to identify risky behaviors, know the signs and symptoms of infection, acquire a knowledge base of disease pathology for their own understanding as well as patient education, and understand treatment options and possible side effects. Second, health care providers need to know how to protect themselves from accidental infection and the proper channels for counseling, testing, and treatment should an occupational exposure occur.

At present there is no cure or vaccine for HCV. Because many people who are infected with HCV remain asymptomatic, they may not take proper precautions not to infect someone else. According to CDC reports, there were approximately 21,000 new cases of HCV infection in 2001. Chronic HCV infection remains the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States (Cummings et al., 2001).

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Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Identify the routes of infection for Hepatitis C

• Discuss risky behaviors that may lead to Hepatitis C infection

• Distinguish between Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E

• Identify symptoms of Hepatitis C

• Discuss treatment options for Hepatitis C

• Describe the risk of occupational exposure and the prevention of Hepatitis C