Confronting the Crisis of Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Related Liver Disease With a Novel Multidisciplinary Clinic.

BACKGROUND

Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is prevalent and deadly and increasingly affects younger people and women. No single discipline is adequately equipped to manage its biopsychosocial complexity.

OBJECTIVES

Depict the scope of the ALD problem, provide a narrative review of other integrated care models, share our experience forming and maintaining a multidisciplinary ALD clinic for over a year, and provide recommendations for replication elsewhere.

METHODS

Critical evaluation of clinic implementation and its first year of operation.

RESULTS

The clinical rationale for multidisciplinary ALD treatment is clear and supported by the literature. Such models are feasible although surprisingly rare and vulnerable to various surmountable challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful ALD clinics must be built by teams with solid personal and professional relationships, supported by institutional leadership, and must use a new kind of multidisciplinary paradigm and training. Consultation-liaison psychiatry is uniquely positioned to lead future efforts in the care and study of ALD.