Amit Sachdev, MD, MBA, MS1, Peter H.R. Green, MD2, Alyssa Guberman, 1, Frank Gress, MD, MBA, FACG3, Erin Hendriks, MD1, Megan Oser, PhD1, Laura Reigada, PhD4, Mark Pimentel, MD, FACG5 1Salvo Health, New York, NY; 2Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; 3Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), Mount Sinai South Nassau (MSSN), Oceanside, NY; 4City University of New York at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY; 5Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, West Hollywood, CA
Introduction: IBS is a chronic gastrointestinal condition with a global prevalence of up to 8%. Despite the potential benefits that digital health technologies can bring to patient care, the healthcare sector has been slow to adopt this as best practice. Because of this, few studies have evaluated the use of telehealth and digital technology to enable continuous care in the treatment of IBS. Additionally, few studies focus on integrative, multidisciplinary approaches for the treatment of IBS that target lifestyle modifications.
Methods: On intake, patients (N = 69; 33% male, median age 37) evaluated for IBS then given a diagnosis were administered 5 questions extracted from the PROMIS Gastrointestinal Belly Pain Scale and Quality of Life questionnaires. (Table 1). This self-report survey was re-administered every 30 days. The two symptom reduction questions were added in January 2023 and, thus, administered to a subset of this cohort. Change in the patient-reported survey items was evaluated over time. Most recent responses were compared to intake responses to determine change over time. Patient engagement with the app and care team was also measured from August 2022 to May 2023.
Results: Using telehealth and digital health solutions, the average time to an initial interaction with a physician was 1.6 days. Over the four to eight months, patients engaged with the digital app an average of 10 times per week (SD=6.1). Patients messaged their care team an average of 6 times per week (SD=4.8) and tracked their symptoms and protocol adherence on average 3 times per week (SD=2.1). 30% of patients reported a reduction in avoiding responsibilities, 41% reported a reduction in GI -related anxiety and 42% reported an improvement in control of their IBS symptoms (one or more point change in 1-5 Likert scale shown in Table 1). A subset of this cohort (28) reported 41% less severe abdominal pain and 41% endorsed less frequent symptoms than when they started.
Discussion: Continuous care through a virtual app and personalized care plans that include lifestyle protocols were associated with improved outcomes in the treatment of IBS. High app engagement was also reported. Further studies need to be conducted on the use of digital solutions in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.
Figure: Example of our digital health solution - care tab on left, messaging tab on right
Disclosures:
Amit Sachdev: Salvo Health – Advisor or Review Panel Member, Stock Options.
Peter H.R. Green: Equillium – Advisory Committee/Board Member. Salvo Health – Advisory Committee/Board Member, Stock Options.
Alyssa Guberman: Salvo Health – Employee, Stock Options.
Frank Gress: Salvo Health – Advisory Committee/Board Member, Stock Options.
Erin Hendriks: Salvo Health – Employee, Stock Options.
Megan Oser: Salvo Health – Advisory Committee/Board Member, Stock Options.
Laura Reigada: Salvo Health – Advisory Committee/Board Member, Stock Options.
Mark Pimentel: 9meters – Grant/Research Support, Cedars-Sinai has a licensing agreement with 9meters, Stock Options. Aytu Biosciences – Cedars-Sinai has a licensing agreement with Aytu Biosciences. Bausch Health – Grant/Research Support, Former consultant. Dieta Health – Consultant, Stock Options. Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc – Consultant. Gemelli Biotech – Cedars-Sinai has a licensing agreement with Gemelli Biotech, Stock Options. Hobbs Medical – Cedars-Sinai has a licensing agreement with Hobbs Medical. Salvo Health – Consultant, Stock Options. Synthetic Biologics (now Theriva) – Grant/Research Support, Stock Options. Vivante Health Inc. – Consultant, Stock Options.
Amit Sachdev, MD, MBA, MS1, Peter H.R. Green, MD2, Alyssa Guberman, 1, Frank Gress, MD, MBA, FACG3, Erin Hendriks, MD1, Megan Oser, PhD1, Laura Reigada, PhD4, Mark Pimentel, MD, FACG5. P1948 - The Use of Telehealth and Digital Technology in the Multidisciplinary Treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ACG 2023 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Vancouver, BC, Canada: American College of Gastroenterology.
