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Lookup NU author(s): Tim HicksORCiD, Dr Will Jones, Dr Jana SuklanORCiD, Professor Quentin AnsteeORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. (1) Background: Given the high prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the limitations of liver biopsies, multiple non-invasive tests (NITs) have been developed to identify non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients at-risk of progression. The availability of these new NITs varies from country to country, and little is known about their implementation and adoption in routine clinical practice. This study aims to explore barriers and facilitators that influence the adoption of NAFLD NITs, from healthcare professionals’ perspectives. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using an exploratory mixed-methods approach. Twenty-seven clinicians from eight different countries with different specialties filled in our questionnaire. Of those, 16 participated in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and summarized using the recently published Non-adoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) framework for new medical technologies in healthcare organizations. (3) Results: Several factors were reported as influencing the uptake of NITs for NAFLD in clinical practice. Among those: insufficient awareness of tests; lack of practical guidelines and evidence for the performance of tests in appropriate patient populations and care settings; and absence of sufficient reimbursement systems were reported as the most important barriers. Other factors, most notably ‘local champions’, proper functional payment systems, and sufficient resources in academic hospitals, were indicated as important facilitating factors. (4) Conclusions: Clinicians see the adoption of NITs for NAFLD as a complex process that is modulated by several factors, such as robust evidence, practical guidelines, a proper payment system, and local champions. Future research could explore perspectives from other stakeholders on the adoption of NITs.
Author(s): Vali Y, Eijk R, Hicks T, Jones WS, Suklan J, Holleboom AG, Ratziu V, Langendam MW, Anstee QM, Bossuyt PMM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Clinical Medicine
Year: 2022
Volume: 11
Issue: 10
Online publication date: 11/05/2022
Acceptance date: 09/05/2022
Date deposited: 26/05/2022
ISSN (electronic): 2077-0383
Publisher: MDPI
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11102707
DOI: 10.3390/jcm11102707
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