New research from the Centenary Institute and the Sydney Local Health District has found that a specialised blood test can detect alcohol use in people with liver disease far more accurately than commonly used biomarker tests or patient self-reports. The new study assessed the effectiveness of a test measuring phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a compound formed only when alcohol is consumed. The research involved 183 people, including those with alcohol-associated liver disease, individuals with alcohol use disorder and healthy volunteers. PEth testing detected alcohol use with 95% accuracy, outperforming the other tests. The PEth test is already being introduced at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital’s Liver Transplant Unit.