The Patient Experience with Point-of-Care Intestinal Ultrasound for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Monitoring: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND

Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is a non-invasive, accurate tool for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with growing adoption in the United States for real-time disease management within treat-to-target algorithms. While international studies highlight strong patient support for IUS, U.S.-based data on patient preferences and engagement are limited.

AIMS

This cross-sectional observational study, conducted at two academic IBD centers in the U.S., assessed patient experiences with IUS and preferences for disease monitoring.

METHODS

Adults with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) seen for a routine visit were selected to undergo IUS-driven care or non-IUS-driven care, at the discretion of their provider. Participants then completed a 20-item survey, which included Likert scales for comparing disease-monitoring modalities, as well as measures of patient engagement (Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13), Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-4)), and disease activity. Electronic health records were reviewed for clinical data.

RESULTS

Of 326 patients (209 (64.1%) with CD; 117 (35.9%) with UC), 219 (67.2%) were IUS exposed (underwent IUS-driven care on the date of survey or previously) and 107 (32.8%) were IUS naïve. 133 (60.7%) IUS-exposed participants expressed a strong preference for IUS when comparing disease-monitoring modalities, with 153 (69.9%) reporting no discomfort. 225/326 (69.0%) expressed the strongest confidence in colonoscopy. 101 (46.1%) IUS-exposed participants expressed stronger confidence in IUS vs. blood work (96; 43.8%), stool studies (78; 35.6%), and other cross-sectional imaging (79; 36.1%).

CONCLUSION

IUS is highly acceptable, well tolerated, and preferred by our U.S.

POPULATION

These findings support the implementation of IUS as a patient-centric monitoring tool.