Liver disease is the only major diseases in the UK with a rising death rate. People with liver disease will feel well enough so that they come in to hospital less often and in time we will reduce the death rate by 5%.
Research shows that most of the deaths associated with liver disease are alcohol related. Evidence shows us that treating patients’ for their alcohol problems and not just for their liver disease will result in fewer deaths, less illness and less time spent in hospital.
The Alcohol Related Liver Disease (ARLD) project has developed a tool which will help us to understand which patients need help with their alcohol, before their livers are damaged beyond repair.
July 2016
Wessex AHSN's Centre for Implementation Science has produced a data pack based on acute admission data of patients with liver disease for six acute Trusts across Wessex. The aim of sharing the data intelligence is to catalyze action in this area to drive evidence-based decision making, enabling development of services, to reduce service use and improve outcomes for patients. We hope this will support the development of a pathway for patients presenting with Alcohol Related Liver Disease (ARLD).
Collated data has been analysed to produce a Wessex ARLD database, containing information on all liver disease admissions between January 2011 and December 2015. The information comprises 25,000 admission episodes with over 350 data fields for each admission, and from this we have also compiled specific data packs for individual Trusts.
Data from the 9 Acute NHS Trusts in Wessex shows:
•The number of Liver Disease
admissions are increasing each year
•In 2015: Across Wessex an average of 38% of Liver Disease
admissions were for alcohol-specific conditions, this increased
to 46% at one Acute Trust
•Alcohol Related Liver Disease (ARLD) patients are on
average 10 years younger and more likely to be male
•The probability of death for an ARLD diagnosed
patient 3-years after diagnosis is 47%, compared with 28% for
a non-ARLD patient*
•ARLD patients have a greater number of
admissions and longer lengths of stay than other Liver Disease
patients
•An audit from Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust suggests
that at least an additional 13% of Liver Disease admissions have
alcohol use disorders but are not coded as such. Further audits are being
completed at other Trusts across Wessex
•It is estimated that improving patient management in Acute
Trust settings could save at least £12.9m-£17.2m per
year** across the 9 Acute Trusts
* Figures based on Trust recorded data only, hence probability of death may be under-reported here
** Range determined by ARLD diagnosis either 1 or 2 years earlier.
The Wessex-wide pack is available to view via Slideshare below.