This ERN RARE-LIVER Webinar was held on 11 November 2025 at 5pm (CET) by the ERN RARE-LIVER Nurses Working Group.
Hepatitis Delta Virus is a rare but severe co-infection that worsens outcomes for people with Hepatitis B, yet many patients are still not being screened. A study of 1,580 HBV-positive patients at our hospital highlights which groups are more or less likely to be tested, offering practical insight for nurses who may be missing individuals in their own cohorts. As new treatments such as Bulevertide and Lonafarnib become available, identifying and managing HDV is increasingly important, but routine blood-test screening remains inconsistent and many patients continue to be overlooked.
Rachel Jackson Rachel is a clinical research nurse with an interest in the epidemiology of Hepatitis B and D, and in how people with viral hepatitis can be recruited for screening, linked to care and be successfully retained in care. She is currently in the first year of a PhD at the University of Nottingham and still does regular clinical work at Nottingham University Hospitals.
Kathryn Jack is a Lead Nurse for Nursing Research and Innovation in the surgical care group at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. She has over 30 years acute and chronic disease patient care experience and has worked as a specialist nurse and researcher in the field of viral hepatitis and liver disease since 1999 in both hospital and community locations. Kathryn has an honorary assistant professor position at the University of Nottingham in the School of Health Sciences. In 2019 she was awarded a PhD following a mixed-methods research study into the impact of opt-out hepatitis C virus testing in prisons. She has experience in Realist Evaluation methodologies, observational studies, qualitative research, and the JBI approach to systematic reviews. Kathryn is an editorial board member of the Gastrointestinal Nursing journal’s liver supplement and a steering committee member of HCV Action (a national group for professionals). Kathryn is currently leading studies in the field of viral hepatitis, enables non-medical clinical academic activity in clinical areas, and holds an NIHR Senior Clinical Practitioner Research Award.
Martina Fellinghauer is a Hepatology nurse specialist working in endoscopy at the Vienna General Hospital (AKH Wien) as a registered nurse since 2013. She has completed training in practical education, quality management, and risk management. Since 2022, Martina is the head of the nurses’ department at the outpatient clinic for the gastroenterology & hepatology (including endoscopy), rheumatology, nephrology, and endocrinology. Currently studying prevention management to expand her expertise. A board member of IVEPA (Association of Endoscopy Nurses Austria) since 2016, and working with LCNA (Liver Care Nursing Austria) to bring hepatology out of the shadows in the nursing setting. Since 2025, we have been part of AHOP (Austrian Association of Hematological and Oncological Nursing Professionals) in order to pool resources and expertise. Working in the ERN Nurse Taskforce also enriches the work in her own country.
