Using a novel clinical pathway integrated into the electronic medical record, researchers were able to identify patients with inflammatory bowel disease who were overdue for medical follow-ups, according to data presented at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting.
“Both the unpredictable relapsing nature of IBD as well as discordance between subjective symptoms and underlying levels of inflammation make patients less likely to attend routine office visits, and we may miss critical opportunities to improve disease control and avoid complications,” Matthew K. Schroeder, MD, a chief resident in internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, said during a virtual poster presentation. “We aimed to develop a tool in the EMR that can assist providers and clinic staff in identifying individuals who are overdue for follow-up based on individualized risk assessment.”