Patient preferences for NAFLD care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Patient preferences for the delivery of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) clinical pathway: let’s move towards patient-centred care
IRAS ID
329054
Contact name
Theresa Hydes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 26 days
Research summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the UK’s leading cause of liver disease. NAFLD occurs when there is too much fat in the liver. In some people this can lead to scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure. There are no approved drug treatments so patients are asked to lose weight which can reverse NAFLD, particularly in the early stages.
Several guidelines on NAFLD have been published. These focus on the patient ‘journey’ through the health system. However, none of these guidelines have asked the patients what they think the pathway should look like.
Understanding patient preferences is vital to achieving ‘patient-centred’ care which can lead to improved health outcomes.
This is particularly important for people living with NAFLD as high levels of engagement are often needed and various aspects of care can be challenging for patients. For example, we would like to find out more about what people think about being ‘screened’ for a condition that probably is not currently causing them any symptoms, may/may not progress and does not have a treatment other than weight loss. What do patients think about undergoing regular ‘risk assessments’ for liver scarring when the tests can be inaccurate? Would patients with related conditions prefer that we focus on assessing the liver, or provided ‘one-stop’ clinics for multiple conditions? How would people like their care to be structured in terms of location, continuity of care, face-to-face contact? How can we best support patients to lose weight particularly those on low incomes?
We will undertake in-depth discussions with 20 people at risk of developing NAFLD and 20 people with NAFLD to understand their preferences for care. We will share these findings with health care professionals and NHS managers to develop the first ‘blue-print’ for a patient-centered NAFLD pathway.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0299
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion