Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B (HB) is a serious “silent infection” with an infection rate of around 325 million worldwide, with an expected death rate of 1.14 million in 2035. Chronic HB is a burden and a threat to People Living with Hepatitis B (PLHB), and it is predicted that the situation for PLHB will become even worse by 2030 if nothing is done to reduce its prevalence and eliminate it.

Objective: To determine the lived experiences of PLHB and their impact on their quality of life.

Methods: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Protocol was used as a guide to systematically search four electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar, published in English from 2000 to 2022 with adult volunteers aged 18 years and above. The data screening and selection process was facilitated by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) 2020 flow chart, and the methodological quality of the studies selected was evaluated using the JBI Critical Assessment Skill Program (JBI CASP). Data analysis and synthesis were done using the JBI qualitative meta-aggregation approach.

Results: Five themes emerged: informational needs, socio-cultural issues as barriers to treatment and care, health system challenges as barriers to healthcare and follow-up, coping strategies to overcome the challenges, and impacts of HB on the psychological, social, spiritual, and physical domains of life.

Conclusion: HB burden is a global burden affecting PLHB caused by several factors such as lack of knowledge, healthcare-seeking behaviors, barriers to healthcare, and healthcare system challenges and policy making. To address these challenges, policymakers and stakeholders are to commit funds for HB health education and the awareness creation, free screening for all, creation of HB clinics for early diagnosis and treatment, as well as subsidizing HB treatment and health insurance subscription at the district levels. More healthcare workers should be trained as professional counselors to address and improve the well-being needs of PLHB.

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