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Ng WL, Hussein N, Ng CJ, Qureshi N, Lee YK, Kwan Z, Kee BP, Then SM, Abdul Malik TF, Mohd Zaidan FZ, Azmi SUF. Implementing HLA-B*58:01 testing prior to allopurinol initiation in Malaysian primary care setting: A qualitative study from doctors' and patients' perspective. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296498. [PMID: 38206925 PMCID: PMC10783771 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Allopurinol, the first-line treatment for chronic gout, is a common causative drug for severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCAR). HLA-B*58:01 allele was strongly associated with allopurinol-induced SCAR in Asian countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. HLA-B*58:01 screening before allopurinol initiation is conditionally recommended in the Southeast-Asian population, but the uptake of this screening is slow in primary care settings, including Malaysia. This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of primary care doctors and patients with gout on implementing HLA-B*58:01 testing in Malaysia as part of a more extensive study exploring the feasibility of implementing it routinely. METHODS This qualitative study used in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to obtain information from patients with gout under follow-up in primary care and doctors who cared for them. Patients and doctors shared their gout management experiences and views on implementing HLA-B*58:01 screening in primary care. Data were coded and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS 18 patients and 18 doctors from three different healthcare settings (university hospital, public health clinics, private general practitioner clinics) participated. The acceptability to HLA-B*58:01 screening was good among the doctors and patients. We discovered inadequate disclosure of severe side effects of allopurinol by doctors due to concerns about medication refusal by patients, which could potentially be improved by introducing HLA-B*58:01 testing. Barriers to implementation included out-of-pocket costs for patients, the cost-effectiveness of this implementation, lack of established alternative treatment pathway besides allopurinol, counselling burden and concern about genetic data security. Our participants preferred targeted screening for high-risk populations instead of universal screening. CONCLUSION Implementing HLA-B*58:01 testing in primary care is potentially feasible if a cost-effective, targeted screening policy on high-risk groups can be developed. A clear treatment pathway for patients who test positive should be made available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Leik Ng
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Norita Hussein
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chirk Jenn Ng
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Research, SingHealth Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore
- Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nadeem Qureshi
- Division of Primary Care, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Yew Kong Lee
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Zhenli Kwan
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Boon Pin Kee
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sue-Mian Then
- Division of Biomedical Science, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Tun Firzara Abdul Malik
- Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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