Abstract

Patients with chronic disorders like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) face important challenges adhering to diagnostic and treatment tracks. As NAFLD increases, the need to incentivize health-seeking behaviors grows. No evidence-based interventions to address this gap exist. The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of providing increasing levels of diagnostic information on medical care-seeking in adults newly diagnosed with NAFLD. We randomly assigned adults with a sonographic diagnosis of NAFLD at a check-up unit in Mexico to one of five groups. All groups received medical consultation. A: no further interventions; B: received multimedia educational material (MEM); C: MEM + NAFLD-fibrosis-score (NFS); D: MEM + transient elastography (TE); E: MEM + NFS + TE. 1209 participants were randomized, follow-up rate 91%; 82% male, BMI 30.5 ± 4 kg/m2. There were no differences in the proportion of patients undergoing further diagnostic evaluation of liver fibrosis (A 0.4%, E 0.4%, P-for-trend = 0.269). Groups who received more information sought specialized medical care more frequently: A 22%, E 30% (P-for-trend = 0.047). A trend to receive treatment was also observed at higher levels of information: A 26.7%, E 36.3% (P-for-trend = 0.134). Increasing the amount of diagnostic information seemed to increase patient’s health-seeking. Tailoring the communication of information obtained for diagnosis could help to increase health-seeking in chronic disease patients.

Trial registration: NCT01874249 (full date of first registration 11-06-2013).

Details

Title
Incremental levels of diagnostic information incentivize health-seeking in non-alcoholic fatty liver: a randomized clinical trial
Author
Chavez-Tapia, Norberto C 1 ; Barrientos-Gutierrez Tonatiuh 2 ; Torres-Ibarra, Leticia 2 ; Sanchez-Jiménez, Beatriz 3 ; Juarez-Hernandez, Eva 4 ; Ramos-Ostos, Martha 5 ; Alva-Lopez, Luis F 6 ; Uribe Misael 1 

 Medica Sur Clinic and Foundation, Obesity and Digestive Diseases Unit and Translational Research Unit, Mexico City, Mexico (GRID:grid.414741.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0418 7407) 
 National Institute of Public Health, Center for Population Health Research, Cuernavaca, Mexico (GRID:grid.415771.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1773 4764) 
 Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Gastroenterology Department, Centro Medico Nacional La Raza, Mexico City, Mexico (GRID:grid.419157.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 1091 9430) 
 Medica Sur Clinic and Foundation, Translational Research Unit, Mexico City, Mexico (GRID:grid.414741.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0418 7407) 
 Medica Sur Clinic and Foundation, Integral Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Mexico City, Mexico (GRID:grid.414741.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0418 7407) 
 Medica Sur Clinic and Foundation, Radiology and Medical Imaging Unit, Mexico City, Mexico (GRID:grid.414741.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 0418 7407) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2666124641
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.