Inflammatory Bowel Disease Audit

The UK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Audit 1st Round in 2006 was the first UK-wide audit performed within gastroenterology.  It demonstrated a marked variation in the resources and quality of care for IBD patients across the UK with particular deficits in some fundamental aspects of IBD care. The 1st Round of the audit was widely supported by clinicians with 75% of applicable UK hospitals participating. Following publication of the results, change implementation was supported by regional meetings, a web based document repository and selected hospital visits.

The UK IBD Audit 2^nd round in 2008 identified that many services for adult patients with IBD had improved; however, there was still wide variation in the provision of care and many services had not improved at all.  Success stories included the provision of prophylactic heparin, more designated specialist ward areas and specialist nurses, and more nursing sessions, but toilet facilities and provision of psychological support still remained very poor, indicating a continuing need for service improvement.

Following the 1^st audit round, members of the UK IBD Audit Steering Group met with representatives of the British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) and agreed to include Paediatric Gastroenterology (<16 years of age at the date of admission) in the 2^nd audit round so that the UK IBD Audit could become a truly comprehensive audit encompassing IBD patients of all ages.

The participation of paediatric sites in the UK Paediatric IBD Audit in 2008 was a major step forward in helping to ensure that the desired consistent, high quality care is available for all IBD patients, independent of age. The 2008 report highlighted that, paediatric IBD services in the UK were consultant led and supported in many sites by IBD clinical nurse specialists, dieticians and psychologists. However, there were still sites where this additional multidisciplinary support did not exist or where it remained inadequate. The report also highlighted specific issues, such as the lack of both adequate toilet facilities and dedicated ward areas.

Publications and Presentations

The work and findings from both rounds of the audit have been utilised throughout the IBD clinical community to identify variations in service, celebrate service improvements, and highlight important factors in the care of the IBD patients. This sharing of information is very important in terms of building knowledge of both IBD and audit best practices.

A list of the publications and presentations that have emerged from the audit is also available to download below.

Links