JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require comprehensive care to address the physical and psychosocial burden of their disease. The demand for IBD care often exceeds availability, resulting in delayed access and suboptimal management. Self-management tools can help address this gap by empowering patients to be more engaged in managing their disease.

Objective:

To design and implement a bundled digital health tool, MyIBDToolkit, to improve the quality of care and self-management for patients with IBD.

Methods:

A bundled digital health tool, MyIBDToolkit, will be integrated into our provincial electronic health record system. Using a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, we will evaluate the effect of MyIBDToolkit on reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. We will use healthcare administrative records to assess outcomes in these five areas, including healthcare utilization and access to IBD care. We aim to reach 10,000 patients across Alberta, Canada, within 3 years.

Results:

In preparation for the pilot launch, we have identified key stakeholders and developed strategies to assess their readiness for MyIBDToolkit. We are also collecting mixed-methods data from patients to explore potential barriers and facilitators to using MyIBDToolkit. The first phase of MyIBDToolkit’s launched in October 2024.

Conclusions:

MyIBDToolkit can potentially reduce the burden of IBD on patients, providers, and the healthcare system. By evaluating the effectiveness and the implementation of MyIBDToolkit, we aim to achieve immediate and sustained improvements to IBD care in Alberta.