Patient Education

Hepatitis A - General Care

  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Patients must avoid food handling & unprotected sexual intercourse until they become noninfectious because transmission of hepatitis A is mainly by the oral-fecal route
  • Screen for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in cases of sexually acquired hepatitis or if otherwise appropriate

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Hepatitis B - General Care

Acute Hepatitis B
  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Emphasize the disease’s long-term implications for their & their partners’ health
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Advise patients to avoid unprotected sexual intercourse, emphasize condom use
  • Screen for other STDs in cases of sexually acquired hepatitis or if otherwise appropriate
Chronic Hepatitis B
  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Emphasize the disease’s long-term implications for their & their partners’ health
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Abstinence or limited use of alcohol to prevent further liver injury
  • Counseling regarding prevention of transmission of HBV
    • Sexual transmission: Protected sexual intercourse ie condom use
    • Perinatal transmission: Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) & hepatitis B vaccine at delivery for babies of HBV-infected mothers
    • Inadvertent transmission via environmental contamination from a blood spill

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Hepatitis C - General Care

  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Emphasize the disease’s long-term implications for their & their partners’ health
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Advise patient not to donate blood, semen or organs
  • Advise patient to avoid sharing items of personal hygiene eg toothbrushes, shaving equipment
  • Counsel patient to stop using illicit drugs
  • Advise patient regarding sexual transmission
    • HCV is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease, but sexual promiscuity, HIV & herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) co-infections are associated w/ sexual transmission of hepatitis C
    • Avoid unprotected sex during menstruation
  • Advise patient regarding the potential deleterious effect of alcohol esp in association w/ development of HCC, progression of liver fibrosis & increase in HCV replication

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Hepatitis D - General Care

  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Emphasize the disease’s long-term implications for their & their partners’ health
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Advise patients to avoid unprotected sexual intercourse

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Hepatitis E - General Care

  • Provide the patient w/ a detailed explanation of his condition
    • Provide clear, accurate, written information
  • Patients must avoid food handling & unprotected sexual intercourse until they become noninfectious because transmission of hepatitis A is mainly by the oral-fecal route
  • Screen for other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in cases of sexually acquired hepatitis or if otherwise appropriate

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