Collaborating Across the Continuum™: Identifying and Preventing Hepatic Encephalopathy in Long-Term Care Settings

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neurocognitive disorder linked to severe liver disease, commonly affects long-term care (LTC) residents with liver cirrhosis. It presents with cognitive decline, motor dysfunction, and increased fall risks, leading to higher mortality with recurrent episodes. Diagnosing HE in LTC is difficult due to symptom overlap with conditions like delirium, often resulting in mismanagement. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care are essential for better outcomes. This Collaborating Across the Continuum™ program addresses educational gaps in health care by promoting cross-specialty collaboration to improve care from diagnosis to end of life for patients with overt HE.

This Collaborative free activity is made by and between Pharmacy Times Continuing Education (PTCE), Physicians Education Resource (PER) and The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a neurocognitive disorder linked to severe liver disease, commonly affects long-term care (LTC) residents with liver cirrhosis. It presents with cognitive decline, motor dysfunction, and increased fall risks, leading to higher mortality with recurrent episodes. Diagnosing HE in LTC is difficult due to symptom overlap with conditions like delirium, often resulting in mismanagement. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care are essential for better outcomes. This Collaborating Across the Continuum™ program addresses educational gaps in health care by promoting cross-specialty collaboration to improve care from diagnosis to end-of-life for patients with overt HE. This program is provided by both Physicians’ Education Resource® and Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™.

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Describe the unmet needs of patients with hepatic encephalopathy in LTC settings
• Implement strategies to identify patients with hepatic encephalopathy in LTC settings
• Integrate preventative strategies into multidisciplinary care plans for patients at risk of hepatic encephalopathy in LTC settings

Please visit the PTce website to access this free CPE activity.