Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) primary care toolkit
Help facilitate IBD diagnosis and management
What’s inside the toolkit?
IBD background
Learn about IBD types, prevalence, and primary care role
Undiagnosed patients
Screening, diagnosis, and distinguishing IBD from other conditions
Diagnosed patients
Treatment, preventative care, and flare management
Care coordination
Tools for communication and implementing IBD care into practice
Clinician resources
Clinical guidelines, assessment tools, and professional resources
Patient resources
Educational materials, support groups, and patient assistance programs
Overview
Purpose
This toolkit is designed for community-based healthcare professionals to help enhance the awareness and importance of screening, diagnosis, management, and appropriate follow-up of IBD in a diverse patient population.
Toolkit aims
Through the education in this toolkit, we aim to:
Help reduce delays in diagnosis
Help improve management of patients with IBD in settings where they can receive effective care
The role of primary care in IBD
Why it matters
First point of contact
Primary care clinicians are often the first to evaluate symptoms suggestive of IBD.
Bridging diagnostic gaps
Evidence suggests there may be significant lag time between the symptom onset for IBD and diagnosis.
Multidisciplinary approach
IBD, as a complex and chronic condition, benefits from a team-based approach. Primary care clinicians play a critical role in early recognition, partnering with gastroenterologists to optimize outcomes and enhance the quality of care.
Long-term management
- Medication adherence
- Monitoring treatment efficacy
- Preventive health maintenance (eg, vaccines, cancer screenings)
Development process
Developed with a steering committee made up of:
Two IBD specialists
A primary care physician
A person living with IBD
Input was obtained throughout the development process from:
Individuals with IBD
Primary care physicians
