HCPLive Editorial Staff

As we turn the page on 2024, healthcare systems, professionals, and patients, in many ways, find themselves at a crossroads as they prepare to enter 2025.

2024 was a record year in medicine. With a slew of historic approvals in a multitude of disease states, many specialties find themselves amidst a renaissance of care.

However, even with all this advancement, for many, this year was more of the same—earmarked by struggles to overcome the impact of decades-long barriers to care to provide equitable access and care for underserved communities.

, the 8th edition of our annual series reflecting on the groundbreaking stories, persistent challenges, and transformative innovations in healthcare, will feature in-depth articles and multimedia content, spotlighting the most impactful developments within our areas of focus.

As always, this year’s series is a collaboration across the 

From new therapeutic advances in MASH/MASLD, heart failure, and menopause to the profound early impact of artificial intelligence in neurology, from regulatory milestones like needle-free treatments and home OCT to the evolving understanding of antimicrobial resistance and long COVID, this year’s stories reflect the diversity and dynamism of medicine in 2024.

 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn using the hashtag 

, or follow the series on HCPLive’s homepage and daily newsletter. Thank you for joining us in this exploration of healthcare’s continued evolution.

In the future, you will be able to find a list and summaries for each piece of content featured in our 

series. Remember to check back throughout December for new installments and insights!

Endoscopy in the Age of GLP-1 RAs: 2024 Sees New Risk-Based Perioperative Guidance

That was the question for many in 2024 as the community processed how to digest and implement new information on withholding GLP-1 RAs ahead of endoscopic procedures during 2024. 

System Integration: How AI Is Weaving Itself into Neurology

Artificial intelligence has quickly found a home in medicine, but what does it mean for neurology specifically? Find out in this article, with perspective across more than half a dozen disease states in neurology. 

A Pillared Approach: A Suite of Therapies for a Spectrum of Disease

In recent years, a collection of therapeutic classes and agents have redefined the management of metabolic disease. In 2024, these therapies entered a new realm—heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. 

The Long COVID Patient Journey: A Complex and Uncertain Road

More than 4 years removed from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, health systems are now grappling with challenges posed by long-term sequelae of the disease. 

Articles

An overview and landing page for future installments from HCPLive's 8th annual This Year in Medicine Series. 

This Year in Medicine 2024: Stories that Defined Healthcare

Early identification of moderate-to-advanced fibrosis is essential for improving outcomes in patients with 

. Although liver biopsy has long been viewed as the “gold standard” for assessing fibrosis and steatosis, its clinical utility is limited by its cost, invasiveness, and risk of complications, underscoring the importance of noninvasive tests that overcome these limitations.

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)

 released a pair of practice guidelines for the use of blood- and imaging-based noninvasive assessment of fibrosis and steatosis, both intended for adult and pediatric healthcare providers who see patients with chronic liver disease.

Test your knowledge of the 2024 AASLD Practice Guidelines on imaging-based and blood-based noninvasive liver disease assessment of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis with this HCPLive Clinical Quiz!

Eliminate the need for imaging modalities

Sterling RK, Duarte-Rojo A, Patel K, et al. AASLD Practice Guideline on imaging-based noninvasive liver disease assessment of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis. 

Sterling RK, Patel K, Duarte-Rojo A, et al. AASLD Practice Guideline on blood-based noninvasive liver disease assessment of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis. 

Early detection of moderate-to-advanced fibrosis is crucial for better outcomes in chronic liver disease patients. While liver biopsy is the traditional "gold standard" for assessing fibrosis and steatosis, its limitations include cost, invasiveness, and potential complications. This highlights the need for noninvasive alternatives. In 2024, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) introduced practice guidelines for noninvasive blood- and imaging-based assessments of fibrosis and steatosis, targeting both adult and pediatric healthcare providers managing chronic liver disease patients.

Test your knowledge of the 2024 AASLD Practice Guidelines on blood- and imaging-based noninvasive liver disease assessment with this clinical quiz!

Clinical Quiz: AASLD Guidelines for Noninvasive Testing in Chronic Liver Disease

In 2023, a multisociety Delphi process yielded updated nomenclature for what was then known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common 

 estimated to affect up to 25% of US adults and 30% of the total global population.

Recognizing the stigmatizing nature of the terminology and fundamental inaccuracies related to the natural history of the disease, multiple global hepatology and gastroenterology societies, patients and patient advocacy organizations, regulatory experts, and industry representatives set out to rectify these issues with the implementation of revised 

metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)

 published Practice Guidance on the Clinical Assessment and Management of NAFLD. In a later commentary intended to serve as an accompanying article to this guidance, AASLD sought to clarify its clinical application in the context of the new nomenclature.

Test your knowledge of the 2023 AASLD NAFLD Practice Guidance and the implications of the new MASLD nomenclature with this clinical quiz!

All recommendations for NAFLD remain applicable to MASLD.

Only advanced fibrosis management is applicable.

The guidelines require liver biopsies for all MASLD cases.

MASLD coexisting with mild alcohol consumption.

Metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-associated steatotic liver disease.

Metabolic and advanced liver dysfunction.

Noninvasive tests like FIB-4 and vibration-controlled transient elastography.

Imaging studies without cardiometabolic considerations.

Brooks, A. From NAFLD to MASLD: 2023 Brings New Liver Disease Nomenclature. HCPLive. December 13, 2024. Accessed November 26, 2024. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/from-nafld-to-masld-2023-new-liver-disease-nomenclature

Rinella ME, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Siddiqui MS, et al. AASLD Practice Guidance on the clinical assessment and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 

Kanwal F, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Loomba R, et al. Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease: Update and impact of new nomenclature on the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases practice guidance on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. 

In 2023, a multisociety Delphi process led to the renaming of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to address stigmatization and inaccuracies. This change was supported by global hepatology and gastroenterology societies, patient advocacy groups, and industry experts. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) published guidance on NAFLD's clinical assessment and management, later clarifying its application under the new MASLD nomenclature. This shift aims to improve understanding and management of the disease.

Test your knowledge of the AASLD NAFLD Practice Guidance and its clinical application in light of the new MASLD nomenclature.

Clinical Quiz: Impact of New MASLD Nomenclature on 2023 AASLD NAFLD Guidance 

Over 58.5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with rheumatic diseases (RMDs), including an estimated 300,000 children living with some type of juvenile arthritis.

There are many factors to consider when treating patients with RMDs and musculoskeletal diseases, especially people that may be taking immunosuppressants. One such factor is vaccinations.

In 2022, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) issued new guidance and recommendations for vaccinations in people with RMDs and musculoskeletal diseases. The 16-page document, which was the group's first new guideline on the topic since 2022, contained 19 recommendations, including 3 strong recommendations. In this clinical quiz, the first in a series of 4 based on the guideline, we test your knowledge on recommendations for influenza, pnuemococcal, recombinant varicella-zoster virus, and human papillomavirus vaccinations.

B) High-dose or adjuvanted influenza vaccination

D) Only if the patient has a history of pneumonia

C) Only for patients with a history of shingles

A) Vaccinations should be spaced out over several months

B) Multiple vaccinations should be given on the same day

C) Vaccinations should only be given during hospital visits

D) Vaccinations should be avoided if the patient is on immunosuppressive therapy

1. ACR. American College of Rheumatology Releases 2022 Rheumatic Disease Report Card. News release. September 15, 2022. https://rheumatology.org/press-releases/american-college-of-rheumatology-releases-2022-rheumatic-disease-report-card

2. Bass AR, Chakravarty E, Akl EA, et al. 2022 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for Vaccinations in Patients With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases. 

2023(75)3. 449–464. doi: 10.1002/acr.25045

The prevalence of rheumatic diseases (RMDs) in the United States affects over 58.5 million individuals, including 300,000 children with juvenile arthritis. Treatment considerations for RMDs, particularly for those on immunosuppressants, include vaccination strategies. In 2022, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) released updated guidelines for vaccinations in patients with RMDs and musculoskeletal diseases. This comprehensive document, the first update since 2022, includes 19 recommendations, with three strong recommendations, covering vaccines for influenza, pneumococcal, recombinant varicella-zoster virus, and human papillomavirus.

This clinical quiz, our first in a series of 3, focuses on recommendations for specific vaccines from the 2022 ACR vaccination guidelines.