| Original Article |
Question: How is the physician’s knowledge from different specialties about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its associated factors?
Design/Method: Two separate NAFLD knowledge surveys were conducted. Surveys containing 54 and 59 questions covering 3 domains (epidemiology/ pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment) were completed electronically by hepatologists, gastroenterologists (GEs), endocrinologists (ENDOs), and primary care physicians (PCPs) from 40 countries comprising 5 Global Burden of Disease super-regions. Over 24 months, 2202 surveys were completed
Setting: Globally
Patients/Study community: Hepatologists, GEs, ENDOs, and PCPs
Results: There is a significant knowledge gap about NAFLD between medical specialties, especially among PCPs and, to a smaller extent, endocrinologists
| Knowledge About NAFLD Across Medical Specialties | ||||||
| Hepatologists | GEs | ENDOs | PCPs and other | P | All | |
| Correctly identified NAFLD fibrosis
score as a prediction score of advanced liver fibrosis based on routine clinical and laboratory parameters |
340 (69.7%) | 404 (53.3%) | 54 (36.5%) | 183 (22.6%) | <.0001 | 981 (44.6%) |
| Correctly identified cardiovascular disease as the most common cause of death in NAFLD | 422 (87.2%) | 563 (75.8%) | 76 (52.1%) | 313 (39.5%) | <.0001 | 1374 (63.5%) |
| Correctly identified pathologic criteria
for NASH diagnosis (ballooning, lobular inflammation, steatosis, possibly fibrosis) |
384 (79.5%) | 529 (70.9%) | 94 (66.2%) | 327 (42.7%) | <.0001 | 1334 (62.4%) |
| Correctly identified targets for potential NASH therapy (reduce oxidative stress, fibrosis progression, inflammation, metabolic risk) | 414 (85.5%) | 634 (84.8%) | 125 (84.5%) | 563 (69.7%) | <.0001 | 1736 (79.3%) |
Commentary:
| Targeted educational initiatives about NAFLD and related methods of diagnosis are crucial for primary care physicians because they are on the front lines of seeing patients with the disease. Additionally, all healthcare professionals can benefit from training programs on alcohol consumption, liver biopsy, and their roles in the diagnosis of NAFLD |
Citation: Zobair M. Younossi, Janus P. Ong, Hirokazu Takahashi, and et all. A global survey of physician’s knowledge about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2022; 20(6): 1456–1468
DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2021.06.048
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34229038/
Topics: Primary Care, Endocrinologists, Internet, Guidelines, Cardiovascular Disease
