Integration of eHealth into Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care is Safe - Three Years of Follow-up of Daily Care.

Carlsen, Katrine; Frederiksen, Nicoline Willum; Wewer, Vibeke

OBJECTIVES Evaluate integration of an eHealth solution, www.young.constant-care.com, into daily care (I-eHealth). METHODS The I-eHealth solution was offered to IBD patients aged 10-17 years old in non-biological treatment. The application was used monthly and in case of flare-ups. Blood and fecal calprotectin (FC) were tested every three months and during flare-ups. A total inflammation score (based on symptoms and FC) was visualized for the patient in a traffic light curve. An IBD-nurse followed up on the registrations every two weeks. Patients had one yearly planned visit at the hospital. On-demand visits were arranged depending on the total inflammation. I-eHealth results were compared with data from a previous RCT-eHealth study (the control group of which had four planned annual visits). RESULTS 36 IBD patients were followed by I-eHealth, mean age 14.7 (SD 7.75). The median (IQR) duration of using I-eHealth was 1.9 years (0.29-2.51), equal to 66.11 patient years, compared to 40.45 in the RCT-eHealth group and 46.49 in the RCT-control group. On-demand visits per patient year did not differ between the groups: 1.13 (I-eHealth), 1.16 (RCT-eHealth) and 0.84 (RCT-control) (p = 0.84/0.85). Hospitalizations and acute outpatient visits per patient year did not differ between the groups: 0.11 and 0.11 (I-eHealth), 0.05 and 0.02 (RCT-eHealth), 0.11 and 0.11 (RCT-control) (p = 0.17/0.81 and 0.12/0.81). Time to first escalation of medication, and time to first on-demand visit, did not differ between the I-eHealth group and data from the clinical trial (Log rank: p = 0.25 and p = 0.61). CONCLUSIONS I-eHealth is comparably with results from eHealth under RCT supervision. An infographic is available for this article at:http://links.lww.com/MPG/C205.