E-health empowers patients with ulcerative colitis: a randomised controlled trial of the web-guided ‘Constant-care’ approach

Abstract

The new web-guided approach on http://www.constant-care.dk is feasible, safe and cost effective. It empowers patients with ulcerative colitis without increasing their morbidity and depression. It has yet to be shown whether this strategy can change the natural disease course of ulcerative colitis in the long term.

Application of Telemedicine for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Review of the Literature and Future Implications

“…There were also fewer routine visits in the web group. Conversely, there were a significantly higher number of emails (86) and phone calls (21) from web participants than from controls (7 emails and 17 phone calls). Eighty eight percent of participants in the web group preferred telemedicine to conventional care.…”

“…There were significantly greater improvements in web group participants in IBD knowledge, disease-specific quality of life (p = 0.04), general health (p = 0.009), vitality (p = 0.03), and emotional (p < 0.0001) and social functioning (p = 0.002) compared to the control group. Half of all participants experienced at least one flare of symptoms during the study; relapses were significantly shorter in the web group compared to the control group (18 days vs. 77 days, p < 0.0001) [21].…”

“…Eighty eight percent of participants in the web group preferred telemedicine to conventional care. Participants felt empowered by the ability to initiate treatment using the web-guided solution and safe with the option of a web-based follow-up with their provider [21].…”

“…Participants could also chose additional topical 5-ASA treatment and prednisolone, based on previous maximal extent of disease and participants' prior treatment experience. Guidelines for indications on when to call the provider included having greater than six stools per day, daily rectal bleeding, rectal bleeding occurring between relapses, fever >37.5 degrees Celsius, heart rate >90 beats per minute, severe abdominal pain, symptoms persisting more than eleven days despite escalation of therapy, unexplained weight loss, and/or for any doubts or questions regarding the study [21].…”

Optimization of anti-TNF therapy in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…It is likely that disease activity will also be monitored via E-health which may lead to less hospital visits. [104] Another example of such technology is the development of so-called dashboard systems (i.e. software packages that integrate information and calculations about therapeutics from multiple components into a single interface for use in the clinical environment), which are currently being developed in order to simplify TDM of anti-TNF agents.…”