P210 Assessment of disease specific knowledge and quality of life among patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Sequeira, C.(1);Santos, I.(1);Coelho, M.(1);Teixeira, C.(1);Mangualde, J.(1);Cremers, I.(1);Oliveira, A.(1);
(1)Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal- Hospital de São Bernardo, Gastroenterology, Setúbal, Portugal;
Background
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract that leads to a marked decrease in quality of life. Patients should develop coping strategies. Higher levels of IBD-related knowledge are associated with lower disease-related helthcare costs and less need for a step-up strategy.
Aims: To determine individual factors influencing the level of patient knowledge and whether this has an impact on therapeutic adherence and quality of life.
Methods
The IBD-KNOW, Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ) and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) questionnaires were applied to IBD patients who were consecutively assessed at outpatient consultation or day-care hospital. Factors associated with higher levels of knowledge about IBD were analysed
Results
We included 74 patients (male: 51%; median age: 46 years [interquartile range (IQR): 25-67]), 54% (n=40) had Crohn's Disease. The median duration of IBD was 5 years (IQR: 1-16 years). Physicians/nurses (n=67) and the internet (n=26) were considered the main sources of knowledge. Median IBD-KNOW score was 13 (IQR: 7-19), the percentage of correct answers was highest in the areas of vaccination (78%), epidemiology (43%) and anatomy (27%) and lowest in knowledge regarding reproduction (21%), lifestyle (21%), physiology (14%) and surgery (14%). Most patients (68%, n= 53) know that IBD with several years of evolution is a risk factor for colorectal cancer and recognize the importance of screening. The IBD-KNOW median score was statistically significantly higher in patients with previous hospitalisation (p=0.01), bowel surgery (p=0.04) and disease with more than 5 years of evolution (p=0.04). No differences were identified according to educational level. Patients adherent to therapy (MMAS-8=8) did not present higher scores (p=0.09) and no positive correlation was found between IBD-KNOW score and SIBDQ (p=0.415).
Conclusion
A longer duration of disease and previous hospitalisation/surgery related to the disease were associated with a higher level of knowledge. There was no association between quality of life and therapeutic adherence and level of knowledge. The authors intend to use this analysis to target future promotion of health education programmes to address the areas with the greatest knowledge deficits.