Delivering Precision Medicine and Patient-Centred Care Through a Multidisciplinary Approach

Abstract

The current treatment strategy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) aims to enable physicians to deliver optimal care and to improve the role that patients play in treatment decisions. The multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach integrates the patient’s perspective and sees the discussion of treatment options with both gastroenterologists and surgeons as early as possible. The MDT approach is also vital in managing the risk of IBD and cardiovascular-related comorbidities in patients with psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), where selection of appropriate medication may affect both the rheumatic condition and the associated comorbidity. Close interdisciplinary interactions between gastroenterologists, rheumatologists, and/or dermatologists are vital, and the ensuing knowledge transfer facilitates the provision of optimal patient care. Personalised medicine will have a profound impact on future treatment algorithms in IBD and other chronic inflammatory conditions. Owing to the complexity of these diseases, a novel approach is urgently needed that will aggregate data from multiple systems and integrate it into a so-called ‘IBD interactome’. This may help identify and target the key molecular components responsible for inflammation. Future treatment practices will also address the psychosocial aspects of IBD by empowering patients and integrating their perspective into the shared treatment decision-making process early on.