Work

Addressing Chronic Steatotic Liver Disease through Community Partnerships, Integrated Behavioral Interventions, and Point-of-Care Diagnostics.

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of a community- based, point-of-care (POC) screening and intervention model for Metabolic and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease (MetALD) in an underserved Rhode Island population. APPROACH: A partnership between the Brown University CADRE and Clínica Esperanza/Hope Clinic (CEHC) utilized electronic health record (EHR) screening followed by on-site FibroScan® imaging and a Motivational Interviewing (MI) lifestyle intervention. RESULTS: Preliminary pilot data identified liver stiffness (fibrosis) in 21% of participants and steatosis in 57%. All identified patients were previously unaware of their condition. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating POC diagnostics with culturally attuned behavioral interventions in a community- centric clinic can bypass traditional barriers to care and detect "silent" liver disease at treatable stages.

Source: PubMed