GPS tracking to support Hepatitis C treatment for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Effects of GPS Tracking on Patient Adherence to Hepatitis C Treatment Among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness
This trial tests whether giving GPS trackers to people with Hepatitis C who are living unsheltered and receiving street medicine helps them stick to their daily hepatitis C medication.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 124 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Southern California Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Alhambra, California and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT06870019 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This randomized interventional project enrolls people with confirmed Hepatitis C who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness and receiving street medicine in Southern California. Participants are randomly assigned to receive standard Hepatitis C care delivered by street medicine teams with or without a GPS tracker device to assist outreach and follow-up. The primary outcome is medication adherence and treatment completion over the typical 8–12 week therapy course, with mixed-methods data collection to understand barriers and acceptability. The protocol emphasizes ethical, privacy-conscious use of location technology and practical approaches to longitudinal follow-up in this population.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with Hepatitis C who are unsheltered, speak English or Spanish, receive street medicine care, meet AASLD simplified-treatment criteria, and have not previously started HCV treatment are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who have already begun HCV treatment, have decompensated cirrhosis or other exclusion criteria (pregnancy, prior liver transplant, active hepatocellular carcinoma, or HBV infection), or who are not reachable in the study locations are unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, GPS-assisted outreach could increase adherence and completion of curative hepatitis C treatment among unsheltered individuals, reducing illness and transmission.
How similar studies have performed: Street medicine programs have shown high engagement in HCV care (for example, USC pilot data with 93% successful follow-up), but the use of GPS trackers specifically for improving adherence is relatively novel with limited prior evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with Hepatitis C infection * Experiencing unsheltered homelessness at study initiation * Speaks English or Spanish * Receiving street medicine care * Meet the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) criteria for simplified treatment of Hepatitis C Exclusion Criteria: * Prior engagement in HCV treatment * Decompensated cirrhosis; HBsAg positive * Current pregnancy; Known or suspended hepatocellular carcinoma * Prior liver transplantation
Where this trial is running
Alhambra, California and 1 other locations
- USC Street Medicine — Alhambra, California, United States (Recruiting)
- Ventura County Medical Center — Ventura, California, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Camilo Zaks, MD — University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Department of Family Medicine, USC Street Medicine
- Study coordinator: Alexis Coulourides Kogan, PhD
- Email: acoulour@usc.edu
- Phone: 626-457-4207
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.