New approaches in the follow-up of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic, presently incurable conditions, meaning a lifetime struggle for pa tients. They are characterised by episodes of remissions and relapses, which affect the patients' wellbeing and quality of life (QoL). Disease activity (DA) and QoL are important aspects of IBD followup and should be properly assessed during outpatient visits. Longterm followup is necessary, but can be complicated for some patients due to a limited number of IBD centres, long distance travelling, or lack of appointments with physicians. The use of information technology in medicine (telemedicine) could help with IBD surveillance. DA and QoL tools in the form of online or mobile phone questionnaires could be completed by patients from home and a visit to a physician recommended according to the results, thereby allocating health care to more complicated cases. Such a method of remote monitoring could save time and money for physicians and patients who are in clinical remission. The ar ticle summarises invasive (endoscopy) and noninvasive tools (questionnaires, faecal calprotectin) for DA and QoL assessment and highlights possible implications of telemedicine in routine care.