What does Digital Health offer for the management of and research into Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)?

by Félix Márquez, May 21, 2025

The development of Digital Health has resulted in significant advances in the treatment and management of diseases, especially chronic diseases, as we noted in our article about the management of Diabetes Mellitus or Heart Failure. Along with these, many other pathologies that have a major impact on the patient and the healthcare system can benefit from the contributions of these solutions, as is the case with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Over the past 50 years, the prevalence of IBD has increased in all population groups, especially in Western countries. This is a chronic digestive disease that affects approximately 2.2 million people in Europe, primarily youth between the ages of 16 and 40. This results not only a significant health impact, but also social and economic consequences, as it affects the working-age population.

The management of IBD requires treatment and continuous monitoring of the patient in order to reduce intestinal changes and complications over the long term, as these can affect the patient’s quality of life in an significant way. In this way, Digital Health tools like telemedicine, remote monitoring, and other patient-centered digital solutions become significant partners, enabling:

- Improvement in access and continuity of care, reducing hospitalizations and optimizing patient monitoring.
- Implementation of prompt and timely changes in treatment.
- Encouragement of patient self-management.
- Reduction of the burden on the health system by reducing unnecessary in-person visits and providing support in real time.

These benefits were noted in the P osition statement of the Spanish Working Group on Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (GETECCU) on the use of Telemedicine in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, all aimed at controlling the disease, and improving the quality of life and the clinical outcomes of the patient.

In addition, Digital Health solutions enable the collection of large amounts of data, fostering the generation of evidence that helps improve the approaches to prevention and treatment of this disease. This is especially relevant for this pathology, where many questions remain, as there are immune-mediated inflammatory diseases of unknown origin.

Furthering research, in Spain we have the ENEIDA registry by GETECCU, the largest Inflammatory Bowel Disease patient registry in the world which has generated more than 60 national and international scientific publications, and numerous studies still awaiting publication. This project uses the technology and services of Persei vivarium, which facilitate the centralization of information and the generation of evidence.

As we have seen, the future of IBD is closely linked to technological innovation. With increasingly advanced digital tools, the research and management of this disease will continue to develop, offering patients a better prognosis and a better quality of life over the long term.