Peter Jepsen is a Consultant and Clinical Professor at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, where his research focuses on the prevention of complications to liver cirrhosis. He has recently been awarded a grant of DKK 10 million from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to explore new models for delivering care to patients in collaboration with general practitioners (GPs).

The grant, totalling DKK 9,991,173, will be used to launch two pilot studies in collaboration with GPs and researchers in both Denmark and England. The project, “Shared care for patients with cirrhosis: pilot trials in primary care”, will explore ways to strengthen collaboration between hospitals and GPs so that their patients with cirrhosis receive better treatment closer to their home.

“At present, patients with cirrhosis are treated almost exclusively in the hospital. Yet many also have contact with their GP – and we could make far better use of that contact. My project seeks to find the best way to share the care for patients with cirrhosis between hospitals and GPs, and determining what we should be asking the GPs to do,” says Peter Jepsen.

One of the trials will investigate the logistics and outcomes of asking GPs to screen patients with type 2 diabetes for cirrhosis. The other will test whether a specific ‘care bundle’ of preventive interventions in general practice can improve outcomes for patients who have been diagnosed with cirrhosis. Communication with both patients and doctors will take place via Denmark’s secure digital mailbox system (e-Boks), and the project will also explore the best ways to engage both groups in treatment and research.

“We need to improve and transform the treatment of cirrhosis – and to do that, we need to involve both patients and GPs in the process,” says Peter Jepsen.
“This is not just about better health for the individual. It is also about enhancing cooperation between hospitals and primary care and finding new approaches to cross-sector research.”

The project is carried out in collaboration with the University of Nottingham. Danish and English healthcare databases will be used to identify groups of patients with cirrhosis who could benefit from being followed by their GP rather than by a hepatologist in the hospital.

Contact

Consultant and Clinical Professor, Peter Jepsen
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine
Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital
Emaill: pj@clin.au.dk
Phone: +45 29 31 44 66