Service Development of POCUS in the IBD Clinic

Does the Use of Point of Care Ultrasound During Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic Appointments Change Management, Speed up Treatment Decisions and Save Money: a Feasibility and Service Development Study

Study to determine whether the use of an ultrasound completed during an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinic will speed up diagnosis, treatment initiation, reduce complications, save money and reduce investigations compared with our current standard of care.

After being provided with study information and providing written informed consent, participants attending the inflammatory bowel disease clinic will be randomised to standard of care or to receiving an ultrasound during the clinic appointment. This ultrasound result will be used to determine treatment decisions. Participants will have a 6 month follow-up to capture outcome data and further medical record review will be conducted at one year.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 16 years or above

• Attending IBD clinic face-to-face

• Able to give informed consent.

• Belonging to one of the following groups:

  1. New patients with high clinical suspicion of IBD
  2. Known UC/IBD-U and possible flare
  3. Known Crohn's and possible flare
  4. Known IBD and assessing response to a new medication or following surgery
  5. Known IBD and clinician planning endoscopic or radiological investigations

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inflammatory bowel disease limited to proctitis with no clinical suspicion of extension