Chronic liver disease (CLD) is posing significant health burden affecting millions of people worldwide. In certain countries, CLD is a prominent cause of premature mortality. Liver function tests (LFTs) are a panel of commonly requested blood tests, which can denote liver disease. Nevertheless, LFTs usually contain at least one abnormal result, and investigations of these abnormalities are rarely done to the extent recommended by national guidelines. 

The intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pathway, a novel, automated system is designed to enhance prompt identification of liver disease. Initial abnormal LFT causes triggering of a cascade of reflexive testing which in turn, helps in identification of the etiology of any liver dysfunction. Algorithms use these outcomes with demographic and clinical data (such as patient age, body mass index, and alcohol intake) and fibrosis estimates to formulate an electronic diagnosis and management plan. 

The pilot trial showed that iLFT is a cost-effective option that can improve diagnosis of liver disease.  This novel diagnostic tool has been fully operational in countries like Scotland since August 2018. The year it was launched, iLFT made over 2000 diagnoses from 1824 patient samples with an abnormality in the initial LFTs. Maximum number of included patients could be safely managed in primary care. Additionally, iLFTs can permits maximal value to be obtained from liver blood tests across biochemistry, virology, immunology, and hematology with only insignificant changes to working practices. 

Thus, it can be established that iLFTs are ‘intelligent’, algorithm-led testing pathways that have the potential that can bridge the gap between clinical and laboratory medicine which in turn, can provide management approached to several significant challenges experienced in modern healthcare systems.

Source: Intelligent Liver Function Testing: Working Smarter to Improve Patient Outcomes in Liver Disease. The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine, Volume 5, Issue 5, September 2020