IBDsmart update

Since its nationwide rollout late last year, which was kindly supported by a grant from the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology, five DHBs have come on board, including Canterbury and Waitemata. 

IBDsmart was designed as an adjunct to clinical care, enabling healthcare professionals and patients to monitor symptoms, without the need for face-to-face appointments. Interestingly, different teams have established different ways of using IBDsmart, with one team using it to measure disease activity prior to patient appointments and other teams deciding based on the questionnaire score if outpatient appointments are necessary or can be postponed/cancelled. 

IBDsmart offers useful features, including push notifications for routine follow-up and the option to report a flare-up, enabling healthcare professionals to provide swift response when a patient is unwell. It provides the opportunity for patients to easily and securely make contact with their IBD team and communicate any concerns they may have using the free text option. 

IBDsmart is free to use for patients and if you are a patient and interested in using the app, talk to your IBD Nurse or Gastroenterologist. If your IBD healthcare team is using IBDsmart, they will be able set you up with the app. If you need advice on how to join the  set up an IBDsmart admin account for your patients,please contact ibdsmart@otago.ac.nz

For more detailed information, go to the GutHealthNetwork website here