Overcoming barriers to care for liver disease
The overall supply of gastroenterologists could be increased by reducing the educational requirements and increasing the funding for fellowships, said Dr. Lee.
“We have to have a better understanding as to the barriers to gastroenterology practice in certain areas, then interventions to address those barriers and also incentives to attract gastroenterologists to those areas,” Dr. Lee said.
The study underscores the importance of access to gastroenterological care, said George Cholankeril, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, who was not involved in the study. That urgency has only grown as ALD has spiraled up with the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
“Anyone in clinical practice right now will be able to say that there’s been a clear rising tide of patients with alcohol-related liver disease,” he told this news organization. “There’s an urgent need to address this and provide the necessary resources.”
Prevention remains essential, Dr. Cholankeril said.
Gastroenterologists and primary care physicians can help stem the tide of ALD by screening their patients for the disease through a tool like AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), he said. They can then refer patients to substance abuse treatment centers or to psychologists and psychiatrists.
Dr. Lee and Dr. Cholankeril report no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.