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The rising incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) over the past decade has resulted in increased health care utilization and longer IBD outpatient waiting lists. Self-management is recognized as an important aspect of chronic disease management but its application to IBD has been limited. The age of IBD onset in a majority of patients is in their 20s to 30s. Mobile phone apps are a technology familiar to young adults and represent an opportunity to explore self-management as a new model of health care delivery for IBD.
The aim of this study was to explore the content and tools of existing IBD apps to identify functionalities that may facilitate patient self-management.
We systematically assessed apps targeted at IBD patients via searches of Google (Android devices) and Apple (iOS devices) app stores with pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Apps were assessed for specific functionalities; presence of professional medical involvement; consistency with international IBD guidelines based on “complete,” “partial,” or “absent” coverage of consensus statements derived from the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation, American College of Gastroenterology, and the Gastroenterology Society of Australia; comprehensiveness of data that could be entered; and average pricing.
Of the 238 apps screened, 26 apps were assessed, including 10 available on Android platforms, 8 on iOS platforms, and 8 on both. Over half (14/26, 54%) of the apps had diary functionalities; over a third (10/26, 39%) provided health information about IBD. None of the apps offered decision support to facilitate the self-initiation of medical therapy. Five of 26 (19%) had professional medical involvement in their design. Apps demonstrated “complete” coverage of only 38% of the international consensus statements explored. The average price of the apps was AUD$1.37.
Apps may provide a useful adjunct to the management of IBD patients. However, a majority of current apps suffer from a lack of professional medical involvement and limited coverage of international consensus guidelines. Future studies and app design for IBD should include professional medical involvement, evidence-based guidelines, and functionalities with decision support that are specifically tailored to patient self-management.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the intestine that have a relapsing and remitting disease course. IBD is associated with an increased prevalence of physical and psychological morbidity, and it adversely affects quality of life, societal interaction, and functioning [
Apps, computer programs designed specifically to be run on mobile phones and tablet personal computers, are widely available to the consumer for download from online stores. The smartphone market is rapidly expanding. Nearly half (8.67 million) of Australian adults were estimated to be using a smartphone in May 2012, which increased to 64% (11.19 million) in May 2013 [
The proliferation of mobile phones has facilitated the emergence of medical apps designed for management of chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis [
Commercially available apps in the IBD setting perform many of the same functions as those that have been studied in asthma, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis, yet several apps in the IBD setting have not been subjected to adequate clinical evaluation and have been devised without taking into consideration current evidence-based guidelines. These apps have also been devised with limited professional medical involvement [
The purpose of this paper was to systematically study the content and functions of commercially available apps for IBD patients in the context of current clinical practice guidelines and discuss the results in relation to their utility in assisting patient with self-management of IBD.
We conducted a search of the official app stores of Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) for IBD-related apps on March 3, 2015. Search times included all of “IBD,” “crohn,” “crohns,” “colitis,” “ulcerative colitis,” and “inflammatory bowel disease.” Apps were screened by assessing their descriptions to exclude non-English apps and apps not targeting patients with IBD. We downloaded the remaining apps to test devices for further screening, based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria (see
Systematic search criteria.
Criteria | Description |
Inclusion | Smartphone app |
Runs on iOS or Android operating systems | |
Available for download from official app stores of Apple or Google | |
English language | |
Targets patients with IBD (as intended by the publisher) | |
Free and paid apps | |
Exclusion | Requires invitation from publisher to use |
Targets patients with conditions other than IBD (as intended by the publisher) | |
Does not target patients | |
Unable to be tested due to technical difficulties |
Prior to the selection of apps, a preliminary search was conducted to identify the types of apps available for patients with IBD, which informed the development of assessment criteria that were used to assess the apps subsequently identified by this systematic review. Each app was independently assessed by 2 assessors. For all apps, we assessed for presence of professional medical involvement in the development of the apps, average ratings (out of 5), and number of reviews. Average ratings and number of reviews were available from both Google and Apple stores, so apps that were available on both platforms were documented twice. We also assessed the presence or absence of common functionalities for all apps, generated post hoc.
For diary apps, we assessed the comprehensiveness of four parameters that were able to be logged: abdominal pain, bowel habit, dietary intake, and medication. This was achieved by assessing the detail with which each symptom was able to be logged. For abdominal pain, these included the time and date, location, and severity. For bowel habits, these included time and date, consistency of stools, rectal urgency, presence of blood, and presence of mucus. For food diary apps, we assessed the extent to which time and date, type of food, quantity, and prior appetite were able to be logged. For medication, the time and date, medication name, and dosing were assessed. Where available, the input options for data entry were also assessed. For all parameters, we also included whether or not free-text notes were able to be entered.
For apps providing information related to IBD, we assessed the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the information provided. We formulated a set of statements extracted from and consistent with international guidelines for IBD from the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation [
Statements derived from international guidelines for IBD.
Topic | Criteria (Crohn’s disease) | Criteria (ulcerative colitis) |
Overview | CD is a lifelong condition characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract | UC is a lifelong condition characterized by chronic inflammation of the colon |
CD has a relapsing and remitting course | UC has a relapsing and remitting course | |
The causes of CD are unknown but are believed to be a mixture of genetic and environmental factors | The causes of UC are unknown but are believed to be a mixture of genetic and environmental factors | |
The onset of CD is most common in the second and third decades of life | UC primarily presents in late adolescence and early adulthood | |
Diagnosis | CD is diagnosed by clinical evaluation and a combination of endoscopic, histological, radiological, and/or biochemical investigations | UC is diagnosed by clinical evaluation, proctosigmoidoscopy or endoscopy, biopsy, and negative stool examination for infective causes |
Chronic diarrhea is the most common presenting symptom of CD | Visible blood in the stools is the primary presenting symptom in UC | |
Common symptoms of CD include chronic diarrhea, nocturnal diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, fever, rectal bleeding | Common symptoms of UC include bloody diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and/or rectal urgency | |
Management goals | Goals of management in CD are the treatment of acute disease or induction of clinical remission, followed by maintenance of remission | Goals of treatment in UC are remission of symptoms, improved quality of life, reduction in long-term medication needs, and reduction of cancer risk |
Treatment options | Initiation of therapy should be performed by a specialist gastroenterologist | |
GPs are important in monitoring long-term treatment plan | ||
Therapy is divided into two categories: (1) acute therapy for flares to induce remission and (2) maintenance therapy in order to help maintain remission | ||
Treatment for IBD may include pharmacological therapy and surgical therapy | ||
Surgical therapy involves removal of a section of bowel, which may result in the patient living with a stoma for life | ||
Use of complementary and alternative medicine is generally safe, but efficacy is not validated |
Searches of the official app store of Google (Android) yielded 146 apps available for screening. Of these, 32 apps were excluded as they were in a language other than English. Of the remaining 114 apps, 83 were excluded for either being unrelated to IBD or not being specific to IBD. A further 7 apps were excluded as they did not appear to target patients. The remaining 24 apps included 2 outdated versions of existing apps, 1 repeat app, and 3 apps that required invitation from the developers, which were excluded, leaving 18 Android apps for analysis.
Searches of the official app store of Apple (iOS) yielded 92 apps available for screening; 19 apps were excluded as they were in a language other than English and 46 of the remaining 73 apps were excluded for either not being related to IBD or not being specific to IBD. A further 9 apps were excluded for not targeting patients. Of the remaining 18 apps, 2 were excluded for requiring invitation from developers, leaving 16 iOS apps for analysis.
The remaining 34 apps were downloaded and analyzed. Eight apps were subsequently excluded; 7 of which were duplicates, and one of which encountered technical difficulties in accessing the app, leaving 26 apps for analysis. A flow diagram of assessment of apps identified in this review is shown in
The final results included 26 mobile phone apps, of which 10 were available exclusively for Android platforms, 8 exclusively for iOS platforms, and 8 available for both. A summary of the results is shown in
Summary of assessed apps.
|
Operating system | Professional medical involvement | Average rating (iTunes Store) | Ratings (iTunes Store), n | Average rating (Google Play) | Reviews (Google Play), n | Cost |
AnswersIn Crohn’s Disease [ |
iOS | Yes | n/a | 0 | — | — | US $ |
AnswersIn Ulcerative Colitis [ |
iOS | Yes | 4 | 1 | — | — | US $ |
Colitis Diary [ |
Android, iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | US $ |
Colitis Ulcerativa Manager [ |
Android, iOS | Yes | n/a | 0 | 2 | 1 | US $ |
Crohn’s Diary [ |
Android, iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | US $ |
Crohn's Disease [ |
Android, iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | US $ |
Crohn's Disease & Symptoms [ |
Android |
|
— | — | n/a | 0 | Free |
Crohn's Disease by AZoMedical [ |
iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | — | — | Free |
Crohn's Disease Manager [ |
Android, iOS | Yes | — | — | 4.1 | 10 | US $ |
Crohns Disease Symptoms & Suggested Treatment [ |
iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | — | — | US $ |
CrohnsTracker Pro [ |
Android |
|
— | — | n/a | 0 | US $ |
GI Buddy [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 3.2 | 63 | Free |
GI Monitor [ |
Android, iOS |
|
3.3 | 42 | 3.9 | 954 | Free |
IBD [ |
iOS |
|
2.9 | 15 | — | — | Free |
IBD (Crohn’s, Colitis) [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 3 | 21 | Free |
Lisa’s Diet [ |
iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | — | — | Free |
Living With Crohn's Disease [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 2.1 | 17 | US $ |
My Crohn’s Diary (Android) [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 2.5 | 6 | US $ |
My Crohn’s Diary (iOS) [ |
iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | — | — | US $ |
MyCrohnsandColitisTeam Mobile [ |
Android, iOS |
|
— | — | 4.3 | 29 | Free |
myIBD [ |
Android, iOS | Yes | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Free |
Pentasa Timer [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 5 | 5 | Free |
Poocount [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 5 | 1 | Free |
Toilet diary [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 2.3 | 3 | Free |
Ulcerative Colitis Information [ |
Android |
|
— | — | 3.3 | 3 | Free |
Vualoo [ |
iOS |
|
n/a | 0 | — | — | Free |
Functionalities of assessed apps.
|
Bowel motion tracking | Pain tracking | Mood/psychological tracking | General symptom tracking | Dietary tracking | Medication tracking | Graphing/analysis | Community/social functions | Reminder system | Disease information |
AnswersIn Crohn’s Disease [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
AnswersIn Ulcerative Colitis [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Colitis Diary [ |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
Colitis Ulcerativa Manager [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
Crohn’s Diary [ |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
Crohn's Disease [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Crohn's Disease & Symptoms [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Crohn’s Disease by AZoMedical [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Crohn’s Disease Manager [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
Crohns Disease Symptoms & |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Crohns Tracker Pro [ |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
GI Buddy [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
GI Monitor [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
IBD (Crohn's, Colitis) [ |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Yes | Yes |
IBD [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Lisa’s Diet [ |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Living With Crohn’s Disease [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
My Crohn’s Diary (Android) [ |
|
|
|
Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
|
My Crohn’s Diary (iOS) [ |
|
|
Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
MyCrohns andColitis Team Mobile [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
myIBD [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
|
|
|
Pentasa Timer [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poocount [ |
Yes |
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Toilet diary [ |
Yes | Yes |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
|
|
|
Ulcerative Colitis Information [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yes |
Vualoo [ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Five apps documented professional medical involvement in the development of the apps on the summary pages of the respective Google or Apple stores [
Thirteen apps exclusively had diary functionalities that allowed patients to track one of more aspects of their IBD. Of these, 9 apps presented only health information about IBD, 1 app had both, and 3 apps had neither. Of the 14 diary apps, 2 apps tracked only dietary intake, 3 apps tracked only disease symptoms, while the remaining 9 tracked both. Two apps had reminder functions, and both of these also had diary functions [
Flow diagram of search and selection process of apps.
Ten apps provided information about Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or both. Nine of these apps provided information as their sole function, while 1 app also had diary functions [
Only 2 apps providing disease information were created with professional medical involvement [
Eight information apps were evaluated for consistency with information from international IBD guidelines. Two of the 10 apps that included disease information were excluded from the analysis as one app included only news updates about IBD [
Screenshot of the main menu of the app AnswersIn Crohn’s Disease.
Summaries of the symptom diary apps for IBD found in this study are shown in
Although most of the symptom diary apps for IBD had the capacity to log multiple parameters, there was considerable heterogeneity regarding the detail with which symptoms were able to be recorded. Most of the symptom diary apps allowed the detailed recording of each bowel movement (including stool consistency and presence or absence of blood), but 2 apps [
Apps offering bowel motion tracking.
|
Time | Consistency | Urgency | Blood | Mucous |
|
Colitis Diary | Date and time | Multiple checkboxes (7 options) | Checkbox | Checkbox (“bloody stool”) | Checkbox (“mucus with stool”) | Blood and mucus are under “consistency” |
Colitis Ulcerativa Manager | — | 5-point scale (water, liquid, soft, normal, hard) | — | Checkbox (“blood within the stool”) | Checkbox (“slime within the stool”) | Can log defecation frequency per day |
Crohn’s Diary | Date and time | Multiple checkboxes (7 options) | Checkbox | Checkbox (“bloody stool”) | Checkbox (“mucus with stool”) | Blood and mucus are under “consistency” |
Crohn’s Disease Manager | — | 5-point scale (water, liquid, soft, normal, hard) | — | Checkbox (“blood within the stool”) | Checkbox (“slime within the stool”) | Can log defecation frequency per day |
GI Buddy |
Date and time | 3-point scale (formed, semi, liquid) | 4-point scale (none, hurry, immediate, accident) | 4-point scale (trace, blood, mucus, blood + mucus) | 4-point scale (trace, blood, mucus, blood + mucus) | Blood and mucus are on same scale |
GI Monitor | Date and time | 3-point scale (solid, mixed, loose) | 3-point scale (low, medium, high) | 3-point scale (none, light, heavy) | — |
|
myIBD | Date and 2-point scale (day, night) | 10-point sliding scale | 10-point sliding scale | 10-point sliding scale | — |
|
Poocount | Date and time | — | — | 3-point scale (blood 0, blood +, blood ++) | — |
|
Toilet diary | — | Checkbox (“diarrhea”) | Checkbox (“enormous pressure”) | Checkbox (“blood”) | Checkbox (“mucus”) |
|
Apps offering pain tracking.
|
Time | Severity | Location |
|
Colitis Diary | Date and time | 10-point drop down menu | — | Includes a dropdown menu for “pain description” |
Colitis Ulcerativa Manager | Date and time | 10-point sliding scale | — |
|
Crohns Diary | Date and time | 10-point drop down menu | — | Includes a dropdown menu for “pain description” |
CrohnsTracker Pro | Date | — | — |
|
Crohn’s Disease Manager | Date and time | 10-point sliding scale | — |
|
GI Buddy | Date and time | 4-point scale (none, mild, moderate, severe) | — |
|
GI Monitor | Date and time | 10-point sliding scale | — |
|
myIBD | Date | 10-point sliding scale | Picture-based | User is able to tap on arbitrary location on picture of abdomen |
Toilet diary | — | — | — | Only has checkbox for presence of “cramp” |
Screenshot of the interface of GI Monitor for recording bowel movements.
A summary of the food diary apps found is shown in
Most diary apps were able to record both symptoms and dietary intake, except 2 apps [
Apps offering dietary tracking.
|
Time | Food item | Serving size | Appetite | Note function | Additional features |
Colitis Diary | — | List menu OR free input | — | — | Yes | Can log other triggers such as “skipped a meal” |
Colitis Ulcerativa Manager | — | — | — | — | Yes |
|
Crohns Diary | — | List menu OR free input | — | — | Yes | Can log other triggers such as “skipped a meal” |
Crohn’s Disease Manager | — | — | — | — | Yes |
|
CrohnsTracker Pro | Date | List menu OR free input OR saved items | — | — | — |
|
GI Monitor | Date and time | Free input | — | — | — | Can log perceived difficulty of digesting food |
GI Buddy | Date and option of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack | Search function OR free input OR saved items | Yes | — | — | Can set custom meals |
IBD (Crohn’s, Colitis) | — | Free input | — | — | — | Allows logging of “good foods” and “foods to avoid” |
Lisa’s Diet | Date and time | Drop down menu OR free input OR saved items | — | — | Yes | Can search for foods flagged by other users |
My Crohn’s Diary (Android) | Date and time | Drop down menu OR free input | Yes | — | Yes | Can log fluid intake separately |
My Crohn’s Diary (iOS) | Date | Free input | — | — | Yes | Can log fluid intake separately |
myIBD | Date | — | — | Yes | Yes | Can log associated nausea and pain levels |
Screenshot of the interface of myIBD for the recording of dietary intake.
At present, no apps offering decision support specific to self-initiation of therapy were identified by this study. However, the app, GI Monitor, was able to automatically generate a quality-of-life score based on patient-reported outcomes collected via the diary function [
While none of the apps found used a reminder system as their primary functionality, 2 apps had medication reminder functions [
Mobile phones represent a promising tool to facilitate self-management in chronic disease. Self-management aims to give a degree of disease control back to the patient by improving self-efficacy, knowledge, and understanding of their disease. Despite their appeal, the evidence regarding the role of apps in self-management of IBD is limited and their optimal use to facilitate self-management is yet to be determined.
This systematic review utilized a systematic approach to explore the content and tools of commercially available mobile phone apps for patients with IBD. However, a lack of standardized assessment criteria for eHealth modalities such as apps precluded a specific rating and/or ranking of the utility of the apps by the reviewers. Although the user ratings of the apps were included in this review, they are a somewhat subjective representation of the apps’ quality of content and functionalities. Ratings and total number of ratings are likely to demonstrate the popularity or perceived value by patients, which can be influenced by advertising or referral (such as a health service “prescribing” a particular app). We acknowledge that a mobile app rating scale has been proposed as a potential method of assessing apps, but such a scale is yet to be validated [
In our assessment, apps providing disease information demonstrated extensive coverage of various topics in IBD, including disease overview, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Although some of these topics were explored in depth, the apps failed overall to provide complete coverage of many of the evidence-based statements derived from international guidelines. This indicates that the majority of apps were not sufficiently accurate or comprehensive as patient education tools, which is most likely explained by the lack of professional medical involvement in their development. In this study, although we anticipated that a proportion of the apps would lack professional medical involvement in their design, we did not expect that this would exceed three quarters of the apps identified. Medical professionals should be consulted in the development process of apps to help ensure that relevant, evidence-based information is included within patient education tools. A lack of evidence undermines the safety and quality of mobile phone apps and thus may pose risks to patients [
Despite the theoretical importance of professional medical involvement, adherence to evidence and app regulation, mobile phone apps that are not used are ultimately ineffective. The challenge is to balance the safety and quality requirements of medical mobile phone apps with the design features required to promote adherence to therapy. Uptake and usage of mobile and Internet technology are influenced by an array of factors, such as perceived risk of use, perceived usefulness, and degree of user-centric focus, which have been described in behavioral change models in emerging eHealth literature [
App content is also important in improving adherence and plays the most significant role in effecting behavioral change. This review identifies a number of tools and functionalities in existing apps that may be beneficial. Patient education in IBD is important to enable everyday behaviors that promote well-being and prevent deterioration [
Prior to the advent of the smartphone, SMS (short message service) text messaging provided a method for medication reminders using traditional mobile phones. In controlled environments, reminder text messages have been shown to decrease the incidence of missed medication doses and improve adherence to treatment [
Mobile phone apps with diary functionalities are emerging as a potential successor to traditional paper-based diaries due to their improved accessibility and convenience. Despite their feasibility being demonstrated in several other chronic disease settings [
Symptom diaries may have further utility when combined with food diaries as a means of identifying potential dietary triggers for gastrointestinal symptoms in IBD [
Programs that provide decision support to the patient are emerging as promising management options in IBD [
Although apps that have been specifically developed for self-management of IBD are lacking, evidence from other chronic diseases suggests that they may have a role in improving self-efficacy, knowledge, and understanding and enhance adherence to prescribed therapy. Developing a comprehensive self-management app may mark the important first steps in propagating self-management in IBD in a similar vein to the creation of asthma management plans for asthma self-management. Apps may potentiate the self-initiation of therapy in acute IBD flares by first measuring disease activity using a symptom diary and providing appropriate subsequent management advice. A novel asthma self-management program with natural language recognition capabilities was recently found to promote medication adherence and patient confidence over the course of its trial [
Although a Web-based approach to IBD management has been demonstrated to improve patient engagement, quality of life, and reduce the duration of relapse, there are currently no data supporting the efficacy of IBD apps in self-management [
The main limitation of this systematic review was that the assessment method for the apps was developed by the authors and has not been validated. This was necessary due to a lack of published studies on IBD apps, as well as a lack of end-user data to allow a quantitative assessment of the efficacy of the apps. Furthermore, the formal assessment of the identified apps did not take design or usability into account. This systematic review was also limited to English-language apps for the two most popular operating systems, Android and iOS. Despite the limitations of this review, we believe that it has provided a real-world exploration of the IBD apps that are currently available and their strengths and limitations respectively.
Apps may provide a useful adjunct to the monitoring and management of patients with IBD. Current apps available for IBD offer varying degrees of content, functions, and levels of care but do not offer patients decision support for their IBD self-management. IBD apps currently suffer from a lack of professional medical involvement, adherence to international clinical guidelines, and validation from clinical studies. These limitations jeopardize the safety and quality of apps as potential medical tools from the clinician’s perspective. The design process is complex and needs to reconcile the needs of clinicians with design features that are desired by patients. Despite their current limitations, apps have the potential to become useful tools to implement clinical pathways and algorithms to support decision making for patients and engage patients in taking an active role in their care. Future mobile phone apps should use behavioral change models in their development to improve uptake and adherence. Future studies should explore the perceived needs of patients and clinicians in relation to apps in the IBD setting. Such information would inform the development of quality apps that meet the needs of both patients with IBD and their treating clinicians. Further clinical testing is required before the routine recommendation of mobile phone apps to support the management of IBD becomes feasible. Ultimately, it is unlikely that a single app will fulfill the needs of all patients with IBD, but more likely that clinicians will prescribe a range of apps each with a specific purpose tailored to the relevant needs of each individual IBD patient.
Crohn’s disease
Gastroenterological Society of Australia
inflammatory bowel disease
short message service
ulcerative colitis
PDC is supported by a GESA Bushell Postdoctoral Fellowship and David Bickart Clinician Research Fellowship from the University of Melbourne and has received a charitable research grant from the Gutsy Group. PDC has also received an unrestricted educational grant from Ferring Pharmaceuticals.
DC was responsible for data collection, drafting of manuscript, and critical appraisal of article for important intellectual content. PDC was responsible for study concept and design, drafting of manuscript, and critical appraisal of article for important intellectual content.
None declared.