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Researchers call for better IBD online patient–physician resources
Concerns over inaccurate information prevented gastroenterologists from referring patients to online resources to gather information about their diseases, study results showed.
Of 223 study participants, 183 respondents (82.1%) reported using Internet resources to assist in developing management strategies for their patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The same percentage cited concerns about spending more time dispelling information that could be misleading or inaccurate.
“Despite a study design biased toward selecting gastroenterologists and physicians providing IBD treatment who commonly used the Internet, we demonstrated that only 60% of providers nationally routinely referred their patients to the Internet,” the researchers from the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of California, Irvine, wrote.
According to the researchers, other studies have shown that 113 million adult Americans sought health-related information through online resources, and the Mayo Clinic reported 69% of its patients with IBD said they used the Internet as a significant resource, with their gastroenterologist as their primary source of information about the disease. “Interestingly, the majority of the Mayo Clinic’s patients reported that the information was trustworthy; however, the literature remains limited on gastroenterologists’ patterns of Internet use and their perceptions of patients’ Internet use,” the researchers wrote, adding that developing a new resource could be useful for both physicians and patients.
“An understanding of these providers’ patterns will allow for the creation of high-quality, reliable Internet-based resources that will meet the needs of both patients and … physicians who treat IBD, provide physicians with opportunities to learn more regarding the management of their patients, and offer a reliable resource for patient education. These resources will result in improved patient care and facilitate shared medical decisions between providers and patients during clinic visits,” they wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.