Can Smartphones Help Deliver Smarter Care for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Chronic illness trajectory-based nursing intervention improves the self-care abilities of patients with inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of chronic illness trajectory model (CITM)-based nursing interventions on anxiety, depression, quality of life, medication adherence, and dietary compliance among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 112 IBD patients admitted to Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from January to December 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: a control group (n=62) receiving routine nursing care, and an observation group (n=50) receiving CITM-based nursing care. Assessments of anxiety, depression, self-care ability, daily living ability, and symptom severity were conducted before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

Post-intervention, the observation group demonstrated significantly higher quality of life scores at 1 and 3 months compared to the control group (both P<0.05). Additionally, the observation group showed improved medication adherence and lower symptom scores, with significant differences (both P<0.05). Anxiety and depression levels were also significantly reduced in the observation group compared to the control group (both P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

CITM-based nursing intervention significantly enhances self-care abilities, quality of life, and compliance with medication and dietary regimens in IBD patients. Furthermore, it effectively alleviates anxiety and depression, supporting comprehensive management of this chronic disease.

Pilot and feasibility of the SMART IBD mobile app to improve self-management in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVES

Access to evidence-based self-management support in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a significant challenge. Digital therapeutic solutions can increase access and provide data to patients and providers that would otherwise not be available. We have iteratively developed a mobile application, Self-Management Assistance with Recommended Treatment (SMART) IBD, that allows patients to access self-management support and record symptoms and medication adherence.

METHODS

We conducted a pilot and feasibility study for this digital therapeutic tool in which patients used SMART IBD for 30 days.

RESULTS

Results indicated that patients rated the app quality as good and accessed the app adequately overall, with some pages being used often. Medication adherence increased over the course of the study and was associated with sleep duration, mood, and stool consistency and blood content.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study demonstrated adequate feasibility for the SMART IBD app and initial findings suggest that additional research is needed to explore the potential impact of this tool in clinical care.

Experiences Among Patients With Cystic Fibrosis in the MucoExocet Study of Using Connected Devices for the Management of Pulmonary Exacerbations: Grounded Theory Qualitative Research

BACKGROUND

Early detection of pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in patients with cystic fibrosis is important to quickly trigger treatment and reduce respiratory damage. An intervention was designed in the frame of the MucoExocet research study providing patients with cystic fibrosis with connected devices and educating them to detect and react to their early signs of PEx.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to identify the contributions and conditions of home monitoring in relation to their care teams from the users' point of view to detect PEx early and treat it. This study focused on the patients' experiences as the first and main users of home monitoring.

METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted to explore patients' and professionals' experiences with the intervention. We interviewed patients who completed the 2-year study using semistructured guides and conducted focus groups with the care teams. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Their educational material was collected. A grounded analysis was conducted by 2 researchers.

RESULTS

A total of 20 patients completed the study. Three main categories emerged from the patients' verbatim transcripts and were also found in those of the professionals: (1) task technology fit, reflecting reliability, ease of use, accuracy of data, and support of the technology; (2) patient empowerment through technology, grouping patients' learnings, validation of their perception of exacerbation, assessment of treatment efficacy, awareness of healthy behaviors, and ability to react to PEx signs in relation to their care team; (3) use, reflecting a continuous or intermittent use, the perceived usefulness balanced with cumbersome measurements, routinization and personalization of the measurement process, and the way data are shared with the care team. Furthermore, 3 relationships were highlighted between the categories that reflect the necessary conditions for patient empowerment through the use of technology.

CONCLUSIONS

We discuss a theorization of the process of patient empowerment through the use of connected devices and call for further research to verify or amend it in the context of other technologies, illnesses, and care organizations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03304028; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT03304028.

The effectiveness of continuity of care in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review

AIM

To investigate the effectiveness of continuity of care in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) is increasing by years, especially in China. Moreover, IBD is prolonged and difficult to heal, which seriously impairs the quality of life of patients. Some studies have identified that continuity of care could contribute to the improvement of the quality of life, but the results remains inconclusive in patients with IBD.

METHODS

PRISMA guidelines was the outline of this study. Review Manager Software (version 5.3) was used to carry out the data analysis. Outcome assessments included quality of life (QoL), remission rates, number of outpatient clinic visits, and medication adherence.

RESULTS

Ultimately, 12 studies involving 2415 patients were brought into this meta-analysis. The results indicated there was no significant difference for continuity of care to improve the QoL in intervention group (SMD = 0.02, 95% CI: -0.08, 0.12). Besides, the remission rates of disease had no difference with those patients in the two groups (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.72, 1.60). However, continued care could contribute to the number of outpatient clinic visits (MD = -0.84, 95% CI: -1.19, -0.49) and patients' adherence to medication significantly (OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.16, 4.95).

CONCLUSIONS

IBD patients could benefited from continuity of care with reducing their number of clinic visits and improving medication adherence. Nonetheless, there was no evidence of continuity of care contribute to QoL and remission of disease for these patients.

Review and content analysis of mobile apps for inflammatory bowel disease management using the mobile application rating scale (MARS): Systematic search in app stores

BACKGROUND

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) need tools for self-management of their disease with the ultimate goal of improving medication adherence and health outcomes. Mobile apps represent a novel opportunity to provide self-management for patients with IBD. Many mobile apps have been developed for IBD self-management, but more evidence is needed about the quality of these mobile apps.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated mobile apps developed for the IBD community and rated the quality of these apps to provide a roadmap for future development.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Apple App Store and Google Play Store were systematically searched to identify IBD mobile apps for patients and physicians based on the IBD-related keywords. We included mobile apps that focus on IBD, are in the English language, and are free. The related app quality was evaluated independently by two reviewers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS).

RESULTS

We identified 401 mobile apps. After removing duplicates and unrelated apps, 44 apps were included in the review. Overall, the mean MARS scores were 3.5 (SD = 0.5) on a scale from 1.00 to 5.00, which was the acceptable range.; 12 apps got scores ≥ 4.00. The highest mean domain score belonged to the functionality dimension (mean = 3.9, SD = 0.6) and the lowest belonged to the engagement dimension (mean = 3.2, SD = 0.8).

CONCLUSION

The MARS ratings showed that the IBD mobile apps quality meet acceptable criteria. However, more attention must be paid to design features that improve user interest and engagement, especially among children and adolescents. Healthcare professional involvement is crucial for designing mobile health apps.

Use of Behavior Change Techniques and Quality of Commercially Available Inflammatory Bowel Disease Apps

BACKGROUND

Inclusion of evidence-based behavior change techniques (e.g., self-monitoring) in mobile health apps has the potential to promote adherence to inflammatory bowel disease treatment. While inflammatory bowel disease management apps exist, the extent to which they incorporate behavior change techniques remains unknown.

AIMS

The present study systematically evaluated the content and quality of free, commercially available inflammatory bowel disease management apps.

METHODS

Apps were identified using a systematic search of the Apple App and Google Play stores. Apps were evaluated using Abraham and Michie's taxonomy of 26 behavior change techniques. A literature search was conducted to identify behavior change techniques specific and relevant for people with inflammatory bowel disease. App quality was assessed using the Mobile App Rating Scale with scores ranging from 1 (Inadequate) to 5 (Excellent).

RESULTS

A total of 51 inflammatory bowel disease management apps were evaluated. Apps included 0-16 behavior change techniques (Mean = 4.55) and 0-10 inflammatory bowel disease management behavior change techniques (Mean = 3.43). App quality ranged from 2.03 to 4.62 (Mean = 3.39) out of 5.00. Two apps, My IBD Care: Crohn's & Colitis and MyGiHealth GI Symptom Tracker, included the highest number of overall and inflammatory bowel disease management behavior change techniques along with high-quality scores. Bezzy IBD was the only app with a high number of overall and inflammatory bowel disease management behavior change techniques with a primary focus on social support/change.

CONCLUSION

Most inflammatory bowel disease management apps reviewed included evidence-based inflammatory bowel disease management behavior change techniques.

A Systematic Assessment of the Quality of Smartphone Applications for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Background and Aims

Smartphone applications aimed at patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have been downloaded more than 100,000 times, yet no systematic assessment of their quality has been completed. This study aimed to objectively assess the quality of GERD smartphone applications for patient education and disease management.

Methods

The Apple App Store and Google Play Store were systematically searched for relevant applications. Two independent reviewers performed the application screening and eligibility assessment. Included applications were graded using the validated Mobile Application Rating Scale, which encompasses 4 domains (engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information) as well as an overall application quality score. The associations between overall application quality, user ratings and download numbers were evaluated.

Results

Of the 4816 unique applications identified, 46 met inclusion criteria (patient education = 37, disease management = 9). Mean overall application quality score was 3.02 ± 0.40 out of 5 ("acceptable"), with 61% (28/46) rated as "poor" (score 2.0-2.9). Applications scored highest for aesthetics (3.24 ± 0.48) and functionality (3.88 ± 0.37) and lowest for information (2.58 ± 0.64) and engagement (2.39 ± 0.65). Disease management applications were of significantly higher quality than education-focused applications (3.59 ± 0.38 vs 2.88 ± 0.26, P < .001). There was no correlation between graded quality and either user ratings or the number of downloads.

Conclusion

While numerous smartphone applications exist to support patients with GERD, their quality is variable. Patient education applications are of particularly low quality. Our findings can help to inform the selection of applications by patients and guide clinicians' recommendations. This study also highlights the need for higher-quality, evidence-informed applications aimed at GERD patient education.

Mobile Apps for the Management of Gastrointestinal Diseases: Systematic Search and Evaluation Within App Stores

Background

Gastrointestinal diseases are associated with substantial cost in health care. In times of the COVID-19 pandemic and further digitalization of gastrointestinal tract health care, mobile health apps could complement routine health care. Many gastrointestinal health care apps are already available in the app stores, but the quality, data protection, and reliability often remain unclear.

Objective

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality characteristics as well as the privacy and security measures of mobile health apps for the management of gastrointestinal diseases.

Methods

A web crawler systematically searched for mobile health apps with a focus on gastrointestinal diseases. The identified mobile health apps were evaluated using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). Furthermore, app characteristics, data protection, and security measures were collected. Classic user star rating was correlated with overall mobile health app quality.

Results

The overall quality of the mobile health apps (N=109) was moderate (mean 2.90, SD 0.52; on a scale ranging from 1 to 5). The quality of the subscales ranged from low (mean 1.89, SD 0.66) to good (mean 4.08, SD 0.57). The security of data transfer was ensured only by 11 (10.1%) mobile health apps. None of the mobile health apps had an evidence base. The user star rating did not correlate with the MARS overall score or with the individual subdimensions of the MARS (all P>.05).

Conclusions

Mobile health apps might have a positive impact on diagnosis, therapy, and patient guidance in gastroenterology in the future. We conclude that, to date, data security and proof of efficacy are not yet given in currently available mobile health apps.

IBD Monitor: Romanian National Mobile Application for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Personalized Treatment and Monitoring

Background: In the last 30 years, we have seen an increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Most cases are diagnosed in the 2nd and 3rd decades of life, a population group that is most familiar with the latest innovations in technology. Patients want to obtain more information about their disease and have complete control over the pathology, while reducing physical meetings with their doctor. Starting from these ideas, the present study aimed to develop a mobile application (app) to support IBD patients on symptoms/events reporting and on treatment administration monitoring. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was created to document and develop the app requirements and design its functionality. The app was beta-tested by several IBD patients. Their feedback was used to further refine the app. Results: We developed connected apps for both smartphones and smartwatches, with dedicated sections for event reporting and medication administration reminders/reporting. Conclusions: The development of apps dedicated to IBD patients is still in early progress. By creating this app, we aim to improve the evolution and compliance of IBD patients and to obtain new information that will have a beneficial impact on the management of these patients and open the door for personalized medicine.

A Self-management SMS Text Messaging Intervention for People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Feasibility and Acceptability Study

BACKGROUND

Mobile health technologies can be useful for providing disease self-management information and support to people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to test a self-management SMS text messaging intervention for people with IBD. Our goal was to examine intervention feasibility, acceptability, and engagement and to preliminarily evaluate improvements in certain self-reported health outcomes among participants.

METHODS

We developed an SMS text messaging program called Text4IBD. The program sent daily support messages and resources about disease self-management over the course of a 2-week, single-group, pretest-posttest intervention to participants (N=114) diagnosed with IBD. We examined intervention feasibility, acceptability, and engagement through Text4IBD message topic recall and use of resources (ie, visiting supplemental websites recommended by the Text4IBD program). We also assessed pretest-posttest measures of IBD-related distress, self-efficacy, perceived support, use of coping strategies, and medication adherence. Analyses examined participants' evaluations of the intervention and compared pretest-posttest changes in secondary outcomes using paired-samples statistics.

RESULTS

Approximately all participants who completed the intervention (n=105) were receptive to Text4IBD and viewed the program as feasible and acceptable. In addition, most participants (103/105, 98.1%) recalled at least one of the message topics sent by the program, and 79% (83/105) of them self-reported engaging with at least one of the external self-management resources recommended by the Text4IBD program. Pretest-posttest results showed reduced IBD-related distress (mean 3.33, SD 0.68 vs mean 2.86, SD 0.73; P<.001) and improvements in most other secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study highlight the value of SMS text messaging as a useful digital medium for providing support to people with IBD, particularly to those who may struggle with disease-related distress. Text4IBD was highly feasible and acceptable and may help people self-manage their IBD. Future studies should aim to evaluate this program in a randomized controlled trial in clinical settings.

Patient Experience and Satisfaction with an e-Health Care Management Application for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Background: Rising healthcare expenditures have been partially attributed to suboptimal management of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Electronic health interventions may help improve care management for IBD patients, but there is a need to better understand patient perspectives on these emerging technologies. Aims: The primary aim was to evaluate patient satisfaction and experience with the UCLA eIBD mobile application, an integrative care management platform with disease activity monitoring tools and educational modules. The secondary objective was to capture patient feedback on how to improve the mobile application. Methods: We surveyed IBD patients treated at the UCLA Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. The patient experience survey assessed the patients’ overall satisfaction with the application, perception of health outcomes after participation in the program, and feedback on educational modules as well as areas for application improvement. Results: 50 patients were included. The responses indicated that the patients were greatly satisfied with the ease of patient–provider communication within the application and appointment scheduling features (68%). A majority of respondents (54%) also reported that program participation resulted in improved perception of disease control and quality of life. Lastly, a majority of participants (79%) would recommend this application to others. Conclusions: Mobile tools such as UCLA eIBD have promising implications for integration into patients’ daily lives. This patient satisfaction study suggests the feasibility of using this mobile application by patients and providers. We further showed that UCLA eIBD and its holistic approach led to improved patient experience and satisfaction, which can provide useful recommendations for future electronic health solutions.

Role of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Scoping Review

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), subdivided into Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic diseases that are characterized by relapsing and remitting periods of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. In recent years, the amount of research surrounding digital health (DH) and artificial intelligence (AI) has increased. The purpose of this scoping review is to explore this growing field of research to summarize the role of DH and AI in the diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and prognosis of IBD. A review of 21 articles revealed the impact of both AI algorithms and DH technologies; AI algorithms can improve diagnostic accuracy, assess disease activity, and predict treatment response based on data modalities such as endoscopic imaging and genetic data. In terms of DH, patients utilizing DH platforms experienced improvements in quality of life, disease literacy, treatment adherence, and medication management. In addition, DH methods can reduce the need for in-person appointments, decreasing the use of healthcare resources without compromising the standard of care. These articles demonstrate preliminary evidence of the potential of DH and AI for improving the management of IBD. However, the majority of these studies were performed in a regulated clinical environment. Therefore, further validation of these results in a real-world environment is required to assess the efficacy of these methods in the general IBD population.

The evolution of IBD perceived engagement and care needs across the life-cycle: a scoping review

Background

The chronic and progressive evolution of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), with its prototypical fluctuating trend, creates a condition of psycho-social discomfort, impacting the quality of life in terms of personal, working, and interpersonal.

Aims

In this article, we want to identify the nature and extent of the research evidence on the life experiences, the perceived engagement, the psychological, social care and welfare needs of people affected by IBD across the lifecycle.

Methods

Following the approach set out by Arksey and O’Malley and the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, we conducted a scoping review in March 2019 and closed the review with an update in October 2019. It was performed using electronic databases covering Health and Life Sciences, Social Sciences and Medical Sciences, such as PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science, PsycInfo.

Results

We identified 95 peer-reviewed articles published from 2009 to 2019, that allowed to detection the main needs in children (psychological, need to be accepted, physical activity, feeding, parent style, support, social needs), adolescents (to understand, physical and psychological needs, protection, relational, gratitude, respect, and engagement) and adults (information, medical, psychological, social, work-related, practical, future-related, engagement). Although the literature confirms that the majority of the IBD units have planned provision for the different types of transitions, the quality and appropriateness of these services have not been assessed or audited for all the kinds of challenges across the life cycle.

Conclusions

The literature shows the relevance of organizing a flexible, personalized health care process across all the critical phases of the life cycle, providing adequate benchmarks for comparison in a multidisciplinary perspective and ensuring continuity between hospital and territory.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-021-01850-1.

IBD goes home: from telemedicine to self-administered advanced therapies

Introduction: Major challenges have been posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the routine management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The need for constant monitoring of diseases activity and prompt adjustment of therapy have been balanced with the risk of contagion related to face-to-face consultations. Therefore, digital health initiatives have been pursued for safety reasons as vicarious instruments to avoid overcrowding of the IBD clinics. However, concerns and skepticism about the feasibility of digital health and telemedicine modalities limited their uptake in clinical practice in the pre-pandemic period.Areas covered: We conducted a literature overview on the current state of the art and the potential future benefits deriving from the integration of telemedicine systems, home-based laboratory tests, and self-administered drugs into IBD daily practice.Expert opinion: Digital health and telemedicine approaches at distance have been experimented as effective tools to avoid overcrowding of clinics and reduce risk from SARS-CoV2 exposure. Home-based point of care testing, such as fecal calprotectin and dried blood samples, might represent an effective method of remote monitoring of patients particularly when in-person visits are precluded. High expectations are placed on the use of self-administered advanced therapies, such as new subcutaneous formulation of biologics.

Impact of mobile health and medical applications on clinical practice in gastroenterology

Mobile health apps (MHAs) and medical apps (MAs) are becoming increasingly popular as digital interventions in a wide range of health-related applications in almost all sectors of healthcare. The surge in demand for digital medical solutions has been accelerated by the need for new diagnostic and therapeutic methods in the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This also applies to clinical practice in gastroenterology, which has, in many respects, undergone a recent digital transformation with numerous consequences that will impact patients and health care professionals in the near future. MHAs and MAs are considered to have great potential, especially for chronic diseases, as they can support the self-management of patients in many ways. Despite the great potential associated with the application of MHAs and MAs in gastroenterology and health care in general, there are numerous challenges to be met in the future, including both the ethical and legal aspects of applying this technology. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current status of MHA and MA use in the field of gastroenterology, describe the future perspectives in this field and point out some of the challenges that need to be addressed.

Food-symptom diaries can generate personalized lifestyle advice for managing gastrointestinal symptoms: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms have a heterogeneous pathophysiology. Yet, clinical management uses group-level strategies. There is a need for studies exploring personalized management options in patients with GI symptoms. From diaries of GI symptoms, food intake, and psychological distress, we extracted and validated personalized lifestyle advice. Secondly, we investigated group-level GI symptom triggers using meta-analysis.

METHODS

We collected 209 diaries of GI symptoms, food intake, and psychological distress, coming from 3 cohorts of patients with GI symptoms (n = 20, 26, and 163, median lengths 24, 17, and 38 days). Diaries were split into training and test data, analyzed, and the triggers emerging from the training data were tested in the test data. In addition, we did a random effects meta-analysis on the full data to establish the most common GI symptom triggers.

KEY RESULTS

Analysis of the training data allowed us to predict symptom triggers in the test data (r = 0.27, P < .001), especially in the subset of patients with a strong global association between lifestyle factors and symptoms (r = 0.45, P < .001). Low exposure to these triggers in the test data was associated with symptom reduction (P = .043). Meta-analysis showed that caloric intake in the late evening or night predicted an increase in GI symptoms, especially bloating. Several food-symptom associations were found, whereas psychological distress did not clearly lead to more severe GI symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Diaries of GI symptoms, food intake, and psychological distress can lead to meaningful personalized lifestyle advice in subsets of patients.

Pathogenesis and clinical perspectives of extraintestinal manifestations in inflammatory bowel diseases

A considerable number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experience extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs), which can present either before or after IBD diagnosis. Unraveling the pathogenic pathways of EIMs in IBD is challenging because of the lack of reliable criteria for diagnosis and difficulty in distinguishing EIMs from external pathologies caused by drugs or other etiologies. Optimizing treatment can also be difficult. Early diagnosis and management of EIM revolve around multidisciplinary teams, and they should have the resources necessary to make and implement appropriate decisions. In addition, specialists of the affected organs should be trained in IBD treatment. Furthermore, patient awareness regarding the extraintestinal symptoms of IBD is of paramount importance for improving patient understanding of disease and health outcomes. Herein, we review the pathogenesis and clinical perspectives of EIMs in IBD.

Remote Monitoring and Telemedicine in IBD: Are We There Yet?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Telehealth is the delivery of health care using the most recent technological advances. With the growing complexity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care, telehealth allows for delivery of specialty services to an extended population. We reviewed the most recent literature on telehealth modalities, including patient-reported and disease outcomes associated with use of telehealth.

RECENT FINDINGS

Current methods of telemedicine include telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and the use of mobile applications. Remote patient monitoring via web applications has been studied with improvement in patient-reported quality of life, medication adherence, and decreased heath care costs. Mobile applications can be used for symptom reporting and alert the medical team if a patient is reporting increased symptoms. These web and mobile applications allow for treatment decisions to occur without the delay of an office visit. There remain limitations to telehealth including technological concerns, physician acceptance, and licensing and reimbursement inequities. Telemedicine is a safe, effective, and accepted method of meeting the growing demand for complex IBD care throughout the world. The use of telehealth video conference and remote patient monitoring with web-based applications and text messaging has been shown to ease financial burdens of chronic disease, improve patient quality of life, and lead to improved clinical outcomes.

Digital Health Apps in the Clinical Care of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Scoping Review

Background

Digital health is poised to transform health care and redefine personalized health. As Internet and mobile phone usage increases, as technology develops new ways to collect data, and as clinical guidelines change, all areas of medicine face new challenges and opportunities. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of many chronic diseases that may benefit from these advances in digital health. This review intends to lay a foundation for clinicians and technologists to understand future directions and opportunities together.

Objective

This review covers mobile health apps that have been used in IBD, how they have fit into a clinical care framework, and the challenges that clinicians and technologists face in approaching future opportunities.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify mobile apps that have been studied and were published in the literature from January 1, 2010, to April 19, 2019. The search terms were (“mobile health” OR “eHealth” OR “digital health” OR “smart phone” OR “mobile app” OR “mobile applications” OR “mHealth” OR “smartphones”) AND (“IBD” OR “Inflammatory bowel disease” OR “Crohn's Disease” (CD) OR “Ulcerative Colitis” (UC) OR “UC” OR “CD”), followed by further analysis of citations from the results. We searched the Apple iTunes app store to identify a limited selection of commercial apps to include for discussion.

Results

A total of 68 articles met the inclusion criteria. A total of 11 digital health apps were identified in the literature and 4 commercial apps were selected to be described in this review. While most apps have some educational component, the majority of apps focus on eliciting patient-reported outcomes related to disease activity, and a few are for treatment management. Significant benefits have been seen in trials relating to education, quality of life, quality of care, treatment adherence, and medication management. No studies have reported a negative impact on any of the above. There are mixed results in terms of effects on office visits and follow-up.

Conclusions

While studies have shown that digital health can fit into, complement, and improve the standard clinical care of patients with IBD, there is a need for further validation and improvement, from both a clinical and patient perspective. Exploring new research methods, like microrandomized trials, may allow for more implementation of technology and rapid advancement of knowledge. New technologies that can objectively and seamlessly capture remote data, as well as complement the clinical shift from symptom-based to inflammation-based care, will help the clinical and health technology communities to understand the full potential of digital health in the care of IBD and other chronic illnesses.

Improving the quality of care for inflammatory bowel disease

Great strides have been achieved in the development of quality-of-care measures and standards for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over the last decade. The central structural component of care in IBD revolves around the multidisciplinary team, which should be equipped with the necessary resources to operate and implement decisions. Process measures have been defined by interest groups and can be adapted into process tools for the delivery of care for various patient subgroups and clinical scenarios. The emerging treat-to-target approach to IBD management may be used to achieve optimal long-term and holistic patient-centred outcomes, such as survival, control of inflammation and disease progression, symptomatic remission, quality of life and complications. Other important quality-of-care outcome measures for IBD include disutility of care, healthcare utilization and other patient-reported outcomes such as nutritional status and impact of fistulae. The current challenge for healthcare providers and health systems is the integration of quality-of-care structures and processes into clinical practice, and the consistent delivery of updated evidence-based quality IBD care to various patient populations by individual health care providers. Finally, the awareness and appreciation for quality of care in IBD is increasing in Asia, and Asian healthcare institutions should be encouraged to take the lead in improving the quality of care in IBD.