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VIDEO: Cirrhosis best practice requires ‘taking ownership’ of patient

SAN ANTONIO — In this exclusive video from the National Liver Conference 2019, Bruce Runyon, MD, from the Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, discusses the “do’s and don’ts” he learned from his more than 40 year career as an academic hepatologist with a particular focus on cirrhosis care.

“We have to do a good history and physical; it sounds very basic, but it has often been ignored in my experience,” Runyon told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “We have to take ownership of patients with cirrhosis ... and we want to involve palliative care earlier and more commonly than is currently being done.”

Runyon explained that palliative care can act as continuity of care, providing the patient with support that may help them avoid unnecessary hospitalization, which can in some cases can exacerbate their condition.

“Our goal is to do no harm and maximize survival and quality of life, which is also the goal of palliative care,” Runyon said. He added that physicians should put more attention toward “recompensation” in the case of patients with alcohol-related liver disease whose condition improves after cessation of drinking.

Disclosure: Runyon reports no relevant financial disclosures.