Practice Guidelines

AASLD develops evidence-based practice guidelines, practice guidances, and patient guidances  to share recommended approaches to the diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive aspects of care. View the AASLD Policy here.

AASLD guidelines use clinically relevant questions, which are then answered by systematic reviews of the literature, and followed by data-supported recommendations. The guidelines are developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts who rate the quality (level) of the evidence and the strength of each recommendation using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. 

AASLD guidance statements are put forward to help clinicians understand and implement the most recent evidence based on comprehensive review and analysis of the literature. Recently AASLD has published guidances on aspects of a topic that lacked sufficient data to perform systematic reviews.  

AASLD also develops quality measures to help its members measure or quantify healthcare processes and outcomes that are associated with the ability to provide high-quality health care. AASLD’s Cirrhosis Quality Collaborative network combines quality improvement and research to improve the care and treatment outcomes of patients with cirrhosis.

Read more about practice guideline development and about AASLD’s conflict of interest policy in articles excerpted from the Hepatology Journal, or review AASLD's Code for the Assessment and Management of Conflict of Interest.

 

New NAFLD Nomenclature Announced

After a rigorous, scientific approach that spanned two years, the global hepatology community has established a new nomenclature for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Learn more about the new terms - Steatotic Liver Disease (SLD), Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), a new category, outside pure MASLD, termed MetALD, and Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).

Read More

Guidelines and Guidance by Disease

Guidelines and Guidances in Development

AASLD strives to review and update its practice guidelines every five (5) years, as necessary. Users are cautioned that in the interim, scientific and medical developments may supersede or invalidate, in whole or in part, specific recommendations in any guideline. A guideline is considered to be "inactive" if it has not been updated by AASLD in at least five (5) years, and for this reason particular care must be exercised in placing reliance on an inactive guideline. 

AASLD commissions and provides financial support for the formulation and production of practice guidelines/guidances by volunteer experts. Financial support from commercial entities or the pharmaceutical industry is not accepted for the development of AASLD practice guidelines or guidances. 

The following practice guidelines and guidances are in development: 

Practice Guidelines
  • Evaluation of the pediatric patient for liver transplant
  • Long term management of the pediatric patient after liver transplant
  • Evaluation of the adult patient for liver transplant
  • Long term management of the adult patient after liver transplant: Non-graft complications
  • Long term management of the adult patient after liver transplant: Immunosuppression, Rejection and Recurrent Disease
Practice Guidances
  • Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the Pediatric Patient

Quality Measures

Quality measures are a tool for providers and institutions to evaluate their care quality, drive quality improvement, and deliver high-value patient care.

View Quality Measures

Patient Guidelines

Patient Guidances are adaptations of published AASLD guidances which are written specifically for patients to help them understand their liver disease. Clinicians may also provide these patient guidances to their patients as a resource during consultations.

View Patient Guidelines

Citing Practice Guidelines and Guidances

AASLD practice guidelines and guidances are copyright protected. One copy may be accessed for personal research, scientific, scholarly or informational purposes and may be transmitted to a third-party colleague in hard copy or electronically for similar use. One figure, table or brief excerpt less than 400 words may be used in one’s scientific, scholarly and educational work with appropriate credit. 

Permission is required to reproduce more than one figure, table, or section over 400 words or complete practice guidelines and guidances for systematic redistribution. Re-sale and posting AASLD practice guidelines and guidances on other websites are not allowed; however, linking to these documents is permitted. Contact jcastano@aasld.org for assistance. 

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