Internet and WeChat used by patients with Crohn’s disease in China: a multi-center questionnaire survey

Abstract

Background Currently, WeChat is widely used in disease education for patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) in China. It is beneficial for the patients to actively engage in their disease management. Methods In this study, we examined the source and expectations of disease information for Chinese CD patients, analysing the content of popular WeChat public accounts and their potential association with medication adherence. Results Between November 24th, 2017 and April 10th, 2018, online questionnaires were sent to CD patients from eight different large urban hospitals in China. In all, 436 patients with CD were surveyed, and 342 patients responded. Patients most frequently visited Baidu (65%) , WeChat (61%) and medical websites such as Haodaifu (35%) when searching for IBD-related information. Among ten WeChat IBD public accounts, the China Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (CCCF) (73%), “ IBD Academic Officer ” (21%) and “ IBD in love ” (21%) were the most popular. CD patients were most interested in information from the internet about diet and day-to-day health-related living with IBD (83%), an introduction to the disease (80%), and medication advances and side effects (80%). The correlation between the information provided by the top five WeChat public accounts and patients’ expectations was low. Additionally, most patients (64%) had greater confidence in overcoming the disease after learning about CD through their internet searches. Medical adherence was also related to internet access and income ( p < 0.05). Conclusions WeChat has become a major source of information for IBD education in China, but the content of WeChat didn’t fully meet patients’ expectations. Therefore, future initiatives should aim to provide high-quality information that based on patients’ demands.

<p>Insufficient Knowledge and Vaccination Practice of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients in the People’s Republic of China</p>

“…Studies from Finland and Spain showed that younger patients used the Internet as a source of medicine information more often, which may explain this result. 18,19 In the People's Republic of China, internet and WeChat has been widely used in disease education for IBD patients, 20 and young patients were better at using social software to get vaccine-related information. Therefore, this result suggests that we should pay more attention to the promotion of middle-aged and elderly patients, such as through hospital brochures.…”

<p>Assessing Oral Medication Adherence and Identifying Predictors of Low Adherence in Chinese Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients</p>

“…As WeChat was the main way for patients to obtain relevant information in China, young patients were encouraged to acquire the required disease knowledge on official accounts such as CCCF. 24 Clinicians should also give more attention to young patients and follow-up more frequently. And motivating them to help and communicate with each other was another way of improving adherence for young patients.…”

Economic Burden and Health Care Access for Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in China: Web-Based Survey Study

“…As shown in Figure 1 , the questionnaire was evaluated and modified by CCCF doctors from 14 IBD centers in mainland China and was produced by Wenjuanxing [ 17 ], which is a free and open platform for survey design. We delivered the web-based survey from October 4, 2018 to April 4, 2019 through the CCCF’s WeChat public platform , which is a popular source for patient education about IBD in China [ 18 ]. The inclusion criteria were informed consent, older than 18 years, and diagnosed with Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, or indeterminate colitis.…”