This will be a pilot study with a pragmatic trial design wherein all hepatology providers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and Scottsdale, AZ will be invited to participate in the study. Consented providers will be randomized to the Digital ALD/AUD Clinic (DALC) arm or standard of care. Provides randomized to standard of care arm will continue to enroll their patients with ALD in the Interactive Care Plan (ICP), a nursing led program started at Mayo in 2021 for longitudinal remote care of patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis. All patients will receive nursing education on alcohol abstinence at ICP enrollment and longitudinal management of their liver disease (current state). Providers randomized to the intervention arm will be able to refer their patients with ALD, to the DALC in addition to standard of care.
The target sample size will be 40 providers (20 providers per arm) and the investigators anticipate 150 patients with ALD will be seen during the study period across both arms. The number of ICP eligible patients seen versus the number of ICP referred patients will be recorded for all providers. Clinically relevant outcomes including hepatic decompensation, MELD 3.0 score, liver chemistries, alcohol use or relapse, liver-related hospitalizations, medication compliance, and mortality will be recorded as part of current ICP program, in both arms. Data will be collected retrospectively from the available medical records at the end of the study period, and no research contact will be made with the patients after initial consent for those patients being offered the DALC. The study duration will be 6 months after the initial Hepatology appointment. At study enrollment and completion, providers will be asked to fill out a survey regarding their satisfaction with ALD/AUD treatment. Consented providers will be informed that they may drop out of the study at any time.
