{"title":"Preferences and acceptability of telemedicine in Belgian IBD patients.","authors":"K Troch, H Piessevaux, O Dewit","doi":"10.51821/89.1.14704","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), in particular Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic conditions that have a considerable impact on patients' quality of life and healthcare resources, as they require frequent visits and hospitalisations. Telemedicine offers a potential advantage by enabling remote healthcare. Studies have shown that telemedicine can improve quality of life and reduce healthcare use, although results vary depending on study design and location. Our study investigates the views of French-speaking Belgian IBD patients on telemedicine. It aims to assess acceptability and preferences to guide future implementation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We designed a questionnaire available online (between October 2023 and June 2024) for which any patient with IBD followed up in an adult gastroenterology consultation was eligible. The 69-item questionnaire was validated by test patients and distributed via Epic®, social media and printed forms. Data were collected using REDCap® and analyzed using SPSS®, applying univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors influencing acceptance of telemedicine.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>257 respondents validated their questionnaire. The majority were women (54%) with an average age of 45 years [17-85]. Most patients had Crohn's disease (63%) and were using immunosuppressive therapy (44%) and/or biologics (30%), with a high compliance rate (98%). Although 68% had discovered telemedicine because of our survey, 82% were interested in remote consultations, citing time savings and reduced absence from work as advantages, while expressing concerns about reduced personal contact and technical problems. Acceptance was significantly associated with time saved and frequency of visits (p<0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our study reveals strong acceptance of telemedicine, regardless of previous experience, with a preference for video over telephone consultations. It also demonstrates openness to follow-up without direct human contact (e.g., application-based tools), although concerns remain about the potential loss of personal interaction. The results underline the importance of addressing patient concerns and ensuring a solid human and technical infrastructure for the expansion of telemedicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":7322,"journal":{"name":"Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica","volume":"89 1","pages":"55-65"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.51821/89.1.14704","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), in particular Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic conditions that have a considerable impact on patients' quality of life and healthcare resources, as they require frequent visits and hospitalisations. Telemedicine offers a potential advantage by enabling remote healthcare. Studies have shown that telemedicine can improve quality of life and reduce healthcare use, although results vary depending on study design and location. Our study investigates the views of French-speaking Belgian IBD patients on telemedicine. It aims to assess acceptability and preferences to guide future implementation.
Methods: We designed a questionnaire available online (between October 2023 and June 2024) for which any patient with IBD followed up in an adult gastroenterology consultation was eligible. The 69-item questionnaire was validated by test patients and distributed via Epic®, social media and printed forms. Data were collected using REDCap® and analyzed using SPSS®, applying univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors influencing acceptance of telemedicine.
Results: 257 respondents validated their questionnaire. The majority were women (54%) with an average age of 45 years [17-85]. Most patients had Crohn's disease (63%) and were using immunosuppressive therapy (44%) and/or biologics (30%), with a high compliance rate (98%). Although 68% had discovered telemedicine because of our survey, 82% were interested in remote consultations, citing time savings and reduced absence from work as advantages, while expressing concerns about reduced personal contact and technical problems. Acceptance was significantly associated with time saved and frequency of visits (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Our study reveals strong acceptance of telemedicine, regardless of previous experience, with a preference for video over telephone consultations. It also demonstrates openness to follow-up without direct human contact (e.g., application-based tools), although concerns remain about the potential loss of personal interaction. The results underline the importance of addressing patient concerns and ensuring a solid human and technical infrastructure for the expansion of telemedicine.
期刊介绍：
The Journal Acta Gastro-Enterologica Belgica principally publishes peer-reviewed original manuscripts, reviews, letters to editors, book reviews and guidelines in the field of clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, including digestive oncology, digestive pathology, as well as nutrition. Pure animal or in vitro work will not be considered for publication in the Journal. Translational research papers (including sections of animal or in vitro work) are considered by the Journal if they have a clear relationship to or relevance for clinical hepato-gastroenterology (screening, disease mechanisms and/or new therapies). Case reports and clinical images will be accepted if they represent an important contribution to the description, the pathogenesis or the treatment of a specific gastroenterology or liver problem. The language of the Journal is English. Papers from any country will be considered for publication. Manuscripts submitted to the Journal should not have been published previously (in English or any other language), nor should they be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Unsolicited papers are peer-reviewed before it is decided whether they should be accepted, rejected, or returned for revision. Manuscripts that do not meet the presentation criteria (as indicated below) will be returned to the authors. Papers that go too far beyond the scope of the journal will be also returned to the authors by the editorial board generally within 2 weeks. The Journal reserves the right to edit the language of papers accepted for publication for clarity and correctness, and to make formal changes to ensure compliance with AGEB’s style. Authors have the opportunity to review such changes in the proofs.
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