Nurse Led Clinics; a Novel Model of Care for Compensated Liver Cirrhosis: A Qualitative Analysis.

A nurse-led cirrhosis clinic model for management of stable, compensated cirrhotic patients is practised in our unit since 2013, wherein these patients are reviewed every six months by specialist nurses in community clinics under remote supervision of hepatologists. We evaluated the experiences of patients and healthcare providers involved in the model to understand the acceptability, strengths, and limitations of the model and obtain suggestions to improve. A qualitative design using in-depth interviews was employed, followed by thematic analysis of eight patients, one attending physician both nurse and hospital clinics, four hepatologists, and three experienced specialist nurses running the nurse-led cirrhosis clinic.

Psychometric validation of the Partners in Health scale as a self-management tool in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background And Aim: Liver cirrhosis is a chronic disease complicated by recurrent hospital admissions. Self-management skills could facilitate optimal disease management. At present there is no validated instrument for measuring self-management in these patients.

The Chronic Liver Disease Nurse Role in Australia: Describing 10 Years of a New Role in Cirrhosis Management.

Cirrhosis of the liver is increasing, with growing patient numbers in hospital outpatient departments, as well as increasing admissions due to decompensated liver disease. Decompensated cirrhosis of the liver is a common and debilitating illness causing disability, readmissions to hospital, and decreased quality of life, and can lead to liver cancer. The advent of the chronic liver disease nurse (CLDN) position in our hospital in 2009 was the first role in Australia dedicated to providing care to patients with cirrhosis.

Validation of Knowledge Questionnaire for Patients With Liver Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: There is no validated questionnaire to assess disease knowledge and self-management in patients with liver cirrhosis. We developed and validated a Cirrhosis Knowledge Questionnaire (CKQ).

Methods: We created a preliminary CKQ comprising 10 questions relevant to self-management of cirrhosis, based on publications and clinical experiences.

Improved Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Diagnosed with a Dedicated Screening Programme-a Propensity Score Adjusted Analysis.

Aim: To assess the overall survival (OS) in those with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed within a programmatic, centrally co-ordinated, regional screening programme.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of consecutive HCC patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2013. Patients were followed up till death or end of study period (30 April 2015).

Efficacy of High-Dose, Rapid, Hepatitis A and B Vaccination Schedules in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis have increased morbidity from hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, and vaccination against these infections is an important standard of care. However, vaccination in patients with cirrhosis is hindered by immune dysfunction and there is limited high-quality literature available. The aim of this work therefore was to compare immune responses of standard dose (SD) with high-dose accelerated (HDA) vaccination in cirrhotic patients.

Efficacy of a chronic disease management model for patients with chronic liver failure.

Background & Aims: Despite the economic impacts of chronic liver failure (CLF) and the success of chronic disease management (CDM) programs in routine clinical practice, there have been no randomized controlled trials of CDM for CLF. We investigated the efficacy of CDM programs for CLF patients in a prospective, controlled trial.

Methods: Sixty consecutive patients with cirrhosis and complications from CLF were assigned randomly to groups given intervention (n = 40) or usual care (n = 20), from 2009 to 2010.

A fluorous, Pummerer cyclative-capture strategy for the synthesis of N-heterocycles.

A fluorous, cyclative-capture strategy based on a new Pummerer cyclization process allows rapid access to tagged, heterocyclic frameworks. Convenient modification of the fluorous, heterocyclic scaffolds by using a variety of approaches including Pd-catalyzed cross-couplings is possible. Traceless, reductive cleavage of the fluorous-phase tag or oxidative cleavage and further elaboration, completes a strategy for the high-throughput, fluorous-phase synthesis of a diverse range of N-heterocycles.