Health Care Utilization Among U.S. Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 2015-2016.

Objective-To measure health care utilization among adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and compare with adults without IBD. Methods-Adults aged 18 and over with IBD (1.2%) and without IBD were identified from the 2015 and 2016 National Health Interview Survey (n = 66,610). This study presents age-adjusted percentages and model-adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) of selected health service use to identify differences by IBD status. IBD status and use of health care services are based on self-reports. Results-Compared with adults without IBD, adults with IBD were more likely to have visited any doctor or mental health provider in the past 12 months. IBD was also associated with higher prevalence of being prescribed medication, and having received acute care services, such as emergency room visits, overnight hospitalizations, or surgeries. Differences by IBD status were greatest for visiting a specialist (APR: 1.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.82-2.14) and home visits (APR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.25-2.59) in the past 12 months. Conclusions-Adults with IBD had higher health service use than adults without IBD. Future studies may assess patient characteristics and outcomes associated with increased utilization among IBD patients.