Telemedicine for management of inflammatory bowel disease (myIBDcoach): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Maastricht University Medical Centre and Ferring.

Telemedicine platform myIBDcoach reduces hospitalisations and outpatient gastroenterology visits in patients with IBD

“…The attrition rate was lower than prior studies with 94% of patients in the telemedicine group completing 1-year follow-up; however, only 75% returned questionnaires at study end 4. Information was not provided on ease of use of the system or patient satisfaction; however, these factors were previously reported as well as accepted 5.…”

“…Additionally, maintaining a therapeutic relationship between the patient and treatment team is essential. As this study only assessed 1-year outcomes,4 additional data are needed on maintaining patient engagement and adherence with a telemedicine programme in patients with IBD beyond 1 year.…”

Quality of Care in Ulcerative Colitis: A Modified Delphi Panel Approach

“…Remote monitoring can provide clinicians with patient data quickly, allowing faster diagnosis and, if needed, treatment escalation, improving treatment outcomes for individual patients. Remote monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease increased patient empowerment through frequent clinician-patient communication and access to education materials (e.g., e-learning modules) [21,22]. Increased health information provided to clinicians through the telemedicine system allowed for more accurate disease state monitoring, thereby resulting in fewer hospitalizations [21,22].…”

“…Remote monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease increased patient empowerment through frequent clinician-patient communication and access to education materials (e.g., e-learning modules) [21,22]. Increased health information provided to clinicians through the telemedicine system allowed for more accurate disease state monitoring, thereby resulting in fewer hospitalizations [21,22]. Research has shown associations between patient symptoms (e.g., stool frequency and rectal bleeding) and clinically assessed improvement; patient self-monitoring of symptoms, potentially facilitated by remote monitoring technology, on a weekly/daily basis may be an appropriate avenue to assess treatment benefit in clinical trials [23].…”

“…Experts discussed barriers that hindered the implementation of such systems. Patient access to, and knowledge of, technology itself may limit the implementation of remote monitoring [21,22,25]. Trainings with patients may help, and may further promote patient-provider communication.…”