GHAPPcast

Gastroenterology & Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers (GHAPP)

This is the official podcast of The Gastroenterology & Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers (GHAPP), an association is dedicated to developing educational programs, providing professional advancement services, and assembling resources for—and guided by—advanced practice providers (APPs).   Through our peer-to-peer network, we seek to support their integral role in the specialty healthcare community by providing the most relevant and timely information and communication for the treatment of their patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and chronic liver disease (CLD).

  1. 5d ago

    GHAPPcast: Recognizing and Managing Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy

    Thank you to Salix for their support on this podcast episode. In this GHAPP podcast, host Christina Hanson, FNP, welcomes Janet Gripshover, DNP, FNP-BC, MBA, for a practical discussion on recognizing and managing overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) in patients with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. The episode reviews how liver disease may progress from fibrosis to compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, where OHE can emerge as a serious complication. Christina and Janet highlight early signs that may be easy to overlook, including sleep-wake reversal, forgetfulness, personality changes, difficulty concentrating, slowed or slurred speech, balance problems, and challenges completing familiar daily activities. Drawing on real-world patient scenarios, they discuss common OHE triggers and risk factors, including infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, constipation, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, prolonged fasting, sedating medications, portosystemic shunting, and sarcopenia. The conversation also emphasizes that OHE is primarily a clinical diagnosis, the importance of involving family members and caregivers in symptom recognition, and the limited role of ammonia testing. Christina and Janet also review nutritional considerations, the use of FIB-4 in broader liver fibrosis assessment, timely follow-up, treatment adherence, and safety conversations surrounding driving, cooking, falls, and other daily activities. For more expert-driven GI and liver disease education, visit the GHAPP Digital Hub and GHAPP ACE app.

  2. Aug 11

    FAQ: Counseling Patients on Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy

    Thank you to Salix for their support on this FAQ video module. In this FAQ video module, Natalie Oliver, PA-C, discusses how healthcare professionals can counsel patients and caregivers about overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE). This educational overview explains how cirrhosis and portal hypertension can reduce the liver’s ability to clear toxins from the blood, potentially leading to changes in thinking, behavior, and daily functioning. Viewers will learn how OHE may present through obvious symptoms—such as disorientation, slurred speech, or severe confusion—or through more subtle changes, including fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and trouble finding the right words. This video also highlights the importance of involving caregivers in symptom recognition while preserving patient autonomy, reviewing warning signs that require immediate medical attention, and reinforcing medication adherence through clear patient education. Natalie discusses additional counseling considerations, including avoiding sedating medications and constipation, supporting adequate protein intake and physical activity, and maintaining skeletal muscle mass. Ideal for gastroenterology and hepatology providers and advanced practice providers, this FAQ offers practical strategies for helping patients and families recognize OHE early and work collaboratively with the liver care team to manage this often-reversible complication. For more expert-driven GI and liver disease education, visit the GHAPP Digital Hub and GHAPP ACE app.

  3. Jun 30

    Medication Review: Efficacy & Safety of Risankizumab in Patients with Moderate to Severely Active UC

    Thank you to AbbVie for their support of this Medication Review Video Module. In this medication review, Melissa Ferrari, PA, and Jennifer Hamilton, MSPAS, PA-C, provide a comprehensive overview of the INSPIRE and COMMAND clinical trials evaluating risankizumab for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. The discussion reviews the trial design, patient populations, induction and maintenance dosing strategies, clinical and endoscopic endpoints, and the rationale behind the approved dosing regimen. The presenters also explain the significance of the phase 2 dose-ranging study and how the clinical development program informed the FDA-approved treatment approach. Melissa and Jennifer review key efficacy findings, including clinical remission and endoscopic improvement during both induction and maintenance, with a particular focus on outcomes in advanced therapy-naïve patients. They also discuss practical considerations for selecting between the available maintenance doses, the role of top-down treatment strategies, administration using the on-body injector, and recommendations for patient counseling and liver enzyme monitoring. Safety outcomes are reviewed, reinforcing the established safety profile of risankizumab and providing clinicians with practical guidance for incorporating this IL-23 inhibitor into routine clinical practice. This educational video is designed for gastroenterology nurse practitioners, physician assistants, gastroenterologists, and other healthcare professionals seeking practical insights into evidence-based treatment of ulcerative colitis. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of the INSPIRE and COMMAND clinical trial data and how these findings can help guide treatment selection, optimize long-term disease control, and support shared decision-making with patients receiving risankizumab. For more GI and hepatology education, visit the GHAPP Digital Hub and the GHAPP ACE app.

  4. Jun 9

    Med Review: SEQUENCE Trial: Risankizumab vs Ustekinumab in Anti-TNF-Refractory Crohn’s Disease

    Thank you to AbbVie for their support on this Medication Review Video Module. In this medication review, Sharon Dudley-Brown, CRNP, PhD from Johns Hopkins University and Angelina Collins, MSN, ANP-BC, from the University of California San Diego, provide a comprehensive overview of the SEQUENCE trial, a landmark head-to-head study comparing risankizumab and ustekinumab in patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease who had previously failed anti-TNF therapy. The discussion explores the trial design, patient population, dosing strategies, primary and secondary endpoints, and the significance of efficacy assessor blinding in an open-label study. Sharon and Angelina review key findings demonstrating the superiority of risankizumab over ustekinumab across multiple clinical and endoscopic outcomes, including clinical remission, endoscopic response, corticosteroid-free remission, and long-term disease control. They also discuss the importance of objective disease assessment using centrally read endoscopy and the role of steroid tapering in evaluating treatment success. Safety outcomes are examined, highlighting the absence of new safety signals and reinforcing the established safety profile of risankizumab. This educational video is designed for gastroenterology nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals seeking practical insights into evidence-based treatment selection for Crohn’s disease. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of how the SEQUENCE study may influence treatment positioning of IL-23 therapies in anti-TNF-experienced patients and how emerging long-term extension data continue to support durable clinical remission and endoscopic improvement with risankizumab.

  5. Jun 2

    FAQ: QUASAR Long Term Extension Interim Analysis

    Thank you to Johnson & Johnson for their support on this FAQ Video Module. In this educational video, Jamie Brogan, APRN, from Northwestern Medicine, reviews the latest QUASAR long-term extension data evaluating the efficacy and safety of guselkumab in adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. This discussion highlights approximately two years of follow-up data, offering healthcare providers valuable insight into the long-term durability of treatment response, clinical remission, endoscopic improvement, and overall safety outcomes associated with guselkumab maintenance therapy. Jamie walks through the key findings from the ongoing multicenter extension study, including sustained clinical remission rates, corticosteroid-free remission, endoscopic healing, and histologic-endoscopic mucosal improvement through week 92. The video also reviews the maintenance dosing strategies of guselkumab, including 100 mg every 8 weeks and 200 mg every 4 weeks, and discusses how patients who responded during earlier phases of treatment maintained those responses over time. In addition, the presentation covers important long-term safety findings, including rates of serious infections and adverse events observed throughout the study. This video is designed for gastroenterology APPs, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, gastroenterologists, and healthcare professionals looking to stay current on emerging ulcerative colitis therapies, long-term biologic data, and evolving treatment goals in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). For more educational content on ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, gastroenterology, and hepatology, visit the GHAPP Digital Hub and the GHAPP ACE app.

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About

This is the official podcast of The Gastroenterology & Hepatology Advanced Practice Providers (GHAPP), an association is dedicated to developing educational programs, providing professional advancement services, and assembling resources for—and guided by—advanced practice providers (APPs).   Through our peer-to-peer network, we seek to support their integral role in the specialty healthcare community by providing the most relevant and timely information and communication for the treatment of their patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and chronic liver disease (CLD).

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