Increment of socioeconomics implies growing patient empowerment, resulting from improved educational levels and greater access to information, combined with increased individual interest in personal health, is resulting in growing demand for direct participation in health care decisions.
Results created by home-monitoring of IBD and IBS are supporting the consultation at the out-patient clinic or at telephone or e-mail counselling with the physician or nurse. EHealth has shown to influence the time to remission by screening for disease activity visualized in a simple traffic light. Furthermore, enabling the patients to be compliant and adherent and increasing their HRQoL. However, it has yet to be proven if this personalized telemedicine, self-care approach will decrease surgery rate (IBD) and hospitalization as well as direct and indirect costs in the long-term.
The Copenhagen criteria for self-care in IBD and IBS using eHealth of IBD/IBS implies a Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome patient being enabled during education to perform screening for disease activity and responding adequate to the traffic light colors red, yellow and green. Thereby increasing compliance and adherence, as well as self-initiating topical 5-ASA therapy if needed and lowFODMAP restriction diet.
The education of the IBD/IBS patient touches 5 disease specific objectives: 1) general IBD/IBS knowledge 2) medication/nutrition and influence of compliance 3) anatomy and min. and max. spread of disease in the bowel, 4) complications and alarm symptoms, 5) diet inclusive importance of iron, D-vitamin, Calcium and B12 vitamin supplementation. Furthermore, education in the eHealth system www.Constant-Care.dk/www.Ibs.Constant-Care.dk and related disease activity scores and fecal calprotectin home testing that cumulates data automatically subsequently presenting them as a Total Inflammatory Burden Scoring visualized as a traffic light.