NCT07631559

Brief Summary

This study builds upon an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (R01DA053325) evaluating a Partner Navigation Intervention to increase hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment initiation among young adult people who inject drugs (PWID) and their injecting partners in San Francisco. The proposed research includes secondary analyses of existing trial data, additional survey measures, qualitative interviews, and a pilot intervention adaptation. The study has two primary objectives. First, it examines how racialized discrimination (structural, interpersonal, and internalized) affects HCV treatment initiation and dyadic partner support processes within injecting partnerships. Second, it evaluates whether a brief, adapted "booster" partner navigation session delivered at HCV treatment completion can improve engagement in ongoing healthcare. Participants include adults (≥18 years) who inject drugs and have been diagnosed with HCV, along with their primary injecting partners. Study activities include longitudinal surveys, qualitative interviews with a subset of participants, and a pilot intervention session with follow-up evaluation. This research addresses critical gaps in understanding how social relationships and structural inequities influence healthcare engagement among PWID. Findings will inform culturally responsive adaptations to dyadic interventions and improve continuity of care in a population disproportionately affected by HCV and systemic barriers to healthcare.

Trial Health

63
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
50

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
10mo left

Started Sep 2026

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
not yet recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 26, 2026

Completed
13 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

June 8, 2026

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 1, 2026

Expected
6 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2027

4 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 30, 2027

Last Updated

June 8, 2026

Status Verified

June 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

6 months

First QC Date

May 26, 2026

Last Update Submit

June 1, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

People who inject drugs (PWID)Partner navigationDyadic interventionPost-treatment healthcare engagementBehavioral interventionHCV treatmentInjecting partnershipsFeasibility pilotSubstance use

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

  • Acceptability of the booster session

    Participant-reported acceptability of the adapted Partner Navigation Intervention booster session, assessed via via brief 3 item questionnaire with 4-point likert response options. Administered to index participants and their injecting partners following session completion.

    1 week

  • Feasibility: recruitment rate

    Proportion of eligible dyads who consent and enroll, calculated as the number enrolled divided by the number approached and screened.

    up to 25 weeks

  • Feasibility: retention rate

    Proportion of enrolled dyads who complete the booster session, calculated as session completion rate among enrolled participants.

    up to 25 weeks

  • Fidelity to session protocol

    Adherence to the adapted booster session protocol assessed by trained observer using a structured fidelity checklist; reported as proportion of session components delivered as intended.

    1 hour

Study Arms (1)

Partner Navigation Booster Session

EXPERIMENTAL

Injecting dyads (index participant and their primary injecting partner) receive one adapted Partner Navigation Intervention booster session at the point of HCV treatment completion, designed to strengthen partnership-based support for sustained healthcare engagement beyond HCV care.

Behavioral: Partner navigation intervention booster session

Interventions

A single adapted dyadic session delivered to PWID and their primary injecting partner at the point of HCV treatment completion. The session builds on the original two-session Partner Navigation Intervention (PNI) developed in the YETI study (R01DA053325) and is adapted to target partnership-based support for broader post-treatment healthcare access, including primary care, mental health, and harm reduction services. Session content includes collaborative goal-setting, barrier identification, and partner communication skills.

Partner Navigation Booster Session

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • For index participants:
  • years of age or older at enrollment
  • History of injecting drug use
  • Completed HCV treatment within the past 3 months
  • Report a primary injecting partner willing to participate
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent
  • English or Spanish speaking
  • For primary injecting partners:
  • Primary injecting partner of an enrolled index participant:
  • years of age or older at enrollment
  • Willing and able to provide informed consent
  • English or Spanish speaking
  • has context menu

You may not qualify if:

  • For both index participants and injecting partners:
  • Unable to provide informed consent due to cognitive impairment or acute intoxication at the time of enrollment
  • Previously participated in this study in any capacity

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Quaker Meeting House

San Francisco, California, 94103, United States

Location

Related Publications (10)

  • Morris MD, Andrew E, Tan JY, Maher L, Hoff C, Darbes L, Page K. Injecting-related trust, cooperation, intimacy, and power as key factors influencing risk perception among drug injecting partnerships. PLoS One. 2019 May 31;14(5):e0217811. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217811. eCollection 2019.

    PMID: 31150518BACKGROUND
  • Morris MD, McDonell C, Kim RG, Laguardia Y, Kanner R, Price JC. A pilot study to understand and respond to loss, theft, and misplacement of hepatitis C treatment medication for people who inject drugs. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken). 2023 May 16;22(3):81-84. doi: 10.1097/CLD.0000000000000042. eCollection 2023 Sep.

    PMID: 37799636BACKGROUND
  • Morris MD, Bates A, Andrew E, Hahn J, Page K, Maher L. More than just someone to inject drugs with: Injecting within primary injection partnerships. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Nov 1;156:275-281. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.09.025. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

    PMID: 26460140BACKGROUND
  • Turner BE, Steinberg JR, Weeks BT, Rodriguez F, Cullen MR. Race/ethnicity reporting and representation in US clinical trials: a cohort study. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2022 Jul;11:100252. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100252. Epub 2022 Apr 10.

    PMID: 35875251BACKGROUND
  • Bailey ZD, Krieger N, Agenor M, Graves J, Linos N, Bassett MT. Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions. Lancet. 2017 Apr 8;389(10077):1453-1463. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X.

    PMID: 28402827BACKGROUND
  • Yearby R, Clark B, Figueroa JF. Structural Racism In Historical And Modern US Health Care Policy. Health Aff (Millwood). 2022 Feb;41(2):187-194. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01466.

    PMID: 35130059BACKGROUND
  • Facente SN, Grebe E, Burk K, Morris MD, Murphy EL, Mirzazadeh A, Smith AA, Sanchez MA, Evans JL, Nishimura A, Raymond HF; End Hep C SF. Estimated hepatitis C prevalence and key population sizes in San Francisco: A foundation for elimination. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 11;13(4):e0195575. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195575. eCollection 2018.

    PMID: 29641546BACKGROUND
  • Morris MD, McDonell C, Luetkemeyer AF, Thawley R, McKinney J, Price JC. Community-Based Point-of-Diagnosis Hepatitis C Treatment for Marginalized Populations: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Oct 2;6(10):e2338792. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.38792.

    PMID: 37862013BACKGROUND
  • Morris MD, Evans J, Montgomery M, Yu M, Briceno A, Page K, Hahn JA. Intimate injection partnerships are at elevated risk of high-risk injecting: a multi-level longitudinal study of HCV-serodiscordant injection partnerships in San Francisco, CA. PLoS One. 2014 Oct 6;9(10):e109282. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109282. eCollection 2014.

    PMID: 25286346BACKGROUND
  • Morris MD, Neilands TB, Andrew E, Maher L, Page KA, Hahn JA. Development and validation of a novel scale for measuring interpersonal factors underlying injection drug using behaviours among injecting partnerships. Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Oct;48:54-62. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.030. Epub 2017 Aug 9.

    PMID: 28804051BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hepatitis COpioid-Related DisordersSubstance-Related DisordersHarm Reduction

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Blood-Borne InfectionsCommunicable DiseasesInfectionsHepatitis, Viral, HumanVirus DiseasesFlaviviridae InfectionsRNA Virus InfectionsHepatitisLiver DiseasesDigestive System DiseasesNarcotic-Related DisordersChemically-Induced DisordersMental DisordersBehavior

Study Officials

  • Meghan Morris, PhD, MPH

    University of California, San Francisco

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Meghan Morris, PhD, MPH

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 26, 2026

First Posted

June 8, 2026

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2027

Last Updated

June 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

This is a pilot/feasibility study with a small target enrollment of 15-25 dyads (30-50 individuals). Given the small sample size and the sensitive nature of the study population (PWID, involving disclosure of illegal drug use behaviors and medical history), individual-level data sharing poses meaningful re-identification risk even after de-identification. Aggregate de-identified findings will be reported in peer-reviewed publication and on ClinicalTrials.gov per standard reporting requirements.

Locations