BACKGROUND
Patient education can influence patient behavior that subsequently may lead to changes in attitudes and skills necessary for maintenance or improvement in management of symptom severity and quality of life.
OBJECTIVE
In this randomized study, we have investigated the effects of a digital eHealth program on the domains of symptom severity, quality of life, anxiety and depression, and a measure of general client satisfaction, compared to a physical patient school, in a cohort of 256 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
METHODS
All patients were enrolled after referral to Section of Gastroenterology at Haukeland University Hospital (HUH). Data were collected at enrolment and after three months, between 2017 and 2019.
RESULTS
On group level, patients attending the eHealth program reported a significant reduction in IBS symptom severity 3 months after treatment (n = 71), compared to patients attending the IBS-school (n = 50). Overall, patients categorized as responders in both programs showed a significant reduction in symptom severity three months after enrolment. Here, 42% of patients attending the eHealth program reported a mean IBS-SSS reduction of 109 points (p <.05) In addition, patients attending the eHealth program reported enhanced quality of life, especially the degree of dysphoria, body image, food avoidance, health worry, interference with activity, relations, and social relations. Patients responding to the physical IBS-school, reported no difference in overall quality of life. However, patients attending the physical IBS-school reported a significantly better satisfaction with the program, compared to the digital eHealth program. Interestingly, patients who were not considered responders to either program also reported a high client satisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that patient education is beneficial for most patients with IBS. However, patients benefit from different aspects of a multidisciplinary patient education program and a stratification of patient benefits needs to be further investigated in a larger cohort of patients.