GI clinicians launch virtual care program that helps patients with IBD

BY PETER HABASHI AND DR. GEOFFREY NGUYEN

TORONTO – This year, a virtual care network to help with the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease was launched. The Canadian Network for Virtual Access to Specialists for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (CaNVAS-IBD) is a national pilot program to expand access to virtual care for IBD patients across Canada. CaNVASIBD is sponsored by the Helmsley Foundation and is part of the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada PACE network.

This initiative intends to improve health outcomes, address gaps in care and develop innovative solutions that can create changes in the public healthcare system.

The CaNVAS-IBD pilot program is led by Dr. Geoffrey Nguyen (Sinai Health Systems, Toronto), along with Dr. Waqqas Afif (McGill University, Montreal), Dr. Charles Bernstein (University of Manitoba, MB), Dr. Sharyle Fowler (University of Saskatchewan, SK), Dr. Jennifer Jones

(Dalhousie University, NS) and Dr. Kerri Novak (University of Calgary, AB).

Access to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) continues to be an issue across Canada as our country has among the highest incidence of IBD in the world. According to the most recent Canadian data in 2018, there are approximately 270,000 Canadians living with IBD and the prevalence of IBD will rise steadily over the next decade.

While IBD can be diagnosed at any age, the age groups that are most likely to be diagnosed are adolescents and young adults from 20 to 30 years of age who require long-term and chronic care throughout their lifespan to optimize clinical care and outcomes. The wait time to see a gastroenterologist for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the location, the severity of the condition, and the availability of specialists.

The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) established a wait time benchmark in IBD care to emphasize the importance of access in this population. For instance, the recommended wait time to see a specialist for IBD is two weeks, but national audits suggest that the actual wait time is closer to 126 days. For this reason, it made sense to create a new solution for treat- launched earlier this year, we are building on six years of experience from the PACE telemedicine program at Mount Sinai Hospital. During this project, we found substantial deficiencies in specialist care early in the course of IBD and a lack of continuous IBD care in regions where the number of gastroenterologists per capita was low. ing IBD patients, one that provided faster access to specialists.

The CaNVAS-IBD program has established provincial hubs championed by virtual care coordinators who facilitate virtual visits with IBD specialists in centres of excellence.

While the CaNVAS-IBD program was

Our findings have been consistent over 18 months of operation, which demonstrates the feasibility of our program for enhancing access to underserved IBD populations. Already, great progress has been made. The program’s median wait time for new consultations is 17 days and for patients with active IBD symptoms, only 8.5 days. Virtual care also showed the potential to yield significant cost savings for provincial travel grants that were unnecessary.

Peter Habashi, NP-Adult, is Director of CaNVAS-IBD. Geoffrey Nguyen, MD, PhD, Gastroenterologist, is Medical Director, CaNVAS-IBD. For more information, see: https://www.canvasibd.ca/referral-info