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Psychosocial assessment is a standard component of patient evaluations for transplant candidacy. The Stanford Integrated Psychosocial Assessment for Transplant (SIPAT) is a widely used measure to assess psychosocial risk for transplant. However, there are questions regarding the SIPAT's reliability and validity. We examined the SIPAT's psychometric performance and its impact on equitable access to transplant in a diverse cohort of 2825 patients seeking liver transplantation between 2014 and 2021 at an urban transplant center. The SIPAT demonstrated good internal consistency reliability at the overall score [Cronbach's α = 0.85, 95% CI (0.83, 0.86)] and domain levels (0.80 > α > 0.70). There was mixed support for structural validity, with poor overall model fit in confirmatory factor analysis and 50% of questions achieving the 0.70-factor loadings threshold. Adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the odds of not being waitlisted for psychosocial reasons were three times higher for patients with Medicaid insurance than patients with private insurance [OR 3.24, 95% CI (2.09, 4.99)] or Medicare [OR 2.89, 95% CI (1.84, 4.53)], mediated by higher SIPAT scores. Black patients had nearly twice the odds of White patients [OR 1.88, 95% CI (1.20, 2.91)], partially mediated by higher social support domain scores. Patients with Medicaid, non-White patients, and those without a college degree scored significantly higher on collinear questions, disproportionately contributing to higher SIPAT scores. The SIPAT did not perform equally across insurance type, race/ethnicity, and education groups, with the lowest subgroup validity associated with patient readiness and psychopathology domains. The SIPAT should be interpreted with caution, especially as a composite score. Future studies should examine validity in other populations., (Copyright © 2023 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)-related morbidity and mortality are rising in the United States. Although effective medications and behavioral interventions are available for the treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), patients with ALD are profoundly undertreated for AUD. This article reviews the management of AUD in patients with ALD, with a focus on appropriate screening and diagnosis, management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome, pharmacotherapy for AUD, alcohol biomarkers, and behavioral interventions. Expanding access to AUD treatment is imperative for improving health outcomes in patients with ALD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have indicated that they have no conflicts of interest with regard to the content of this article., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Alcohol consumption has risen substantially in the United States in the past 2 decades. 1,2 Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) represents a greater inpatient financial burden than all other etiologies of cirrhosis combined 3 and is now the leading indication for liver transplantation. 4 A recent study reported that ALD mortality increased between 2006 and 2017. 5 Since 2017, alcohol consumption has continued to rise, and more significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 The aim of this research letter is to provide the most updated trends in ALD-related mortality in the United States and to quantify the rate of change of ALD-related mortality over time., (Copyright © 2022 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper presents the results of a survey of 43 occupational therapy academic programs regarding their preparation of students to work with young children with special needs. The number of instructional hours devoted to topics related to services for infants or toddlers and their families varied greatly. Some programs plan an increase in hours but are limited by the total hours available within the curriculum. This paper also shares the recommendations of a panel of occupational therapists with expertise in early intervention and entry-level education. The panel was concerned with the quality of preparation of therapists entering early intervention programs and encouraged the profession to review the amount of course work within each curriculum that introduces students to basic knowledge and skills related to early intervention. Some knowledge, such as the consultant's role and working with families of persons who are physically or mentally challenged, are common to other practice areas. The panel stressed that students be taught strategies for obtaining the training necessary for postgraduate entry into a specialty area such as early intervention.