The Future of Telehealth-Based Psychological and Mind–Body Interventions for People With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from relapsing and remitting symptoms of gastrointestinal upset and are at substantial risk of experiencing comorbid mental distress symptoms. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of the evidence surrounding mental health telehealth interventions for IBD patients.

Methods

We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and PsychINFO to systematically identify studies that evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth-based psychological and mind–body interventions to treat the physical and psychosocial symptoms of IBD patients. Predefined data extraction variables included descriptions of the interventions, participation and dropout rates, and preliminary effectiveness. The data was synthesized using tabular data displayed for quantitative variables and presented as narrative summaries to allow for comparison.

Results

Seven studies including 313 participants met our criteria and were included in the review. All studies evaluated distinct interventions. Participation rates ranged 32.4%–75%, and drop-out rates ranged 0%–33%. Most participants reported improvements in their quality of life and mental symptoms, and high satisfaction within their interventions. The authors of all included studies concluded that their interventions were feasible.

Conclusions

The evidence to support using telehealth-based psychological and mind–body interventions to support individuals with IBD is limited, but promising. Interventions were positively evaluated, strongly adhered to, and preliminary effectiveness data suggest that these interventions could improve the psychosocial well-being of people with IBD. Future research is warranted to assess the effectiveness of these interventions and to evaluate the barriers to integrating them into IBD care.