Testing a care pathway for fatty liver disease in VA primary care
Tests a care pathway helping VA primary care doctors diagnose fatty liver disease.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: NAFLD Clinical Care Pathway
Key facts
- Where
- Houston, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 80 years old?
Source: NCT06671886, who can take part
Where in United States
- Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TXHouston, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Trial code
- NCT06671886
- Record updated
- 9 November 2026
- Original description
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a new condition that has become the most common chronic liver disease in the world and a main cause of liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Obesity and diabetes, conditions that are very common among Veterans are the main risk factors for NAFLD. Therefore, the burden of NAFLD and its complications among Veterans is substantial. However, most VA patients with NAFLD are undiagnosed and untreated, and their care is not consistent with practice guidelines. The NAFLD Clinical Care Pathway (NCCP) intervention seeks to close this major gap in the care of Veterans by automatically identifying patients at risk of NAFLD, calculating their risk scores of having severe NAFLD, and educating the primary care providers on the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD. This clinical trial will test the benefit of this NCCP intervention against usual care in increasing the rates of NAFLD diagnosis as well as referral to and enrollment in appropriate treatment. The study will also identify barriers and promotors of future NCCP implementation.Read full original descriptionShow less
Testing the Effectiveness of NAFLD Clinical Care Pathway in VA Primary Care
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a new condition that has become the most common chronic liver disease in the world and a main cause of liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Obesity and diabetes, conditions that are very common among Veterans are the main risk factors for NAFLD. Therefore, the burden of NAFLD and its complications among Veterans is substantial. However, most VA patients with NAFLD are undiagnosed and untreated, and their care is not consistent with practice guidelines. The NAFLD Clinical Care Pathway (NCCP) intervention seeks to close this major gap in the care of Veterans by automatically identifying patients at risk of NAFLD, calculating their risk scores of having severe NAFLD, and educating the primary care providers on the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD. This clinical trial will test the benefit of this NCCP intervention against usual care in increasing the rates of NAFLD diagnosis as well as referral to and enrollment in appropriate treatment. The study will also identify barriers and promotors of future NCCP implementation.
Inclusion: Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.
Exclusion: The investigators will exclude PACTs with unstable leadership (i.e., pending departure, vacancy) at time of randomization; PACTs participating in the focus groups in Aim 1 will be excluded in Aim 2 to avoid cross contamination; PACTs meeting the following criteria will be excluded from randomization in Aim 2:; PACTs who do not treat NAFLD; PACTs not located at the main hospital; PACTs with less than 100 visits within 3 months.