Cure8 research brief
Delays and incomplete pre-referral screening are common in pediatric IBD and can affect how sick children are when they first see specialists. Better, standardized use of fecal calprotectin and abdominal ultrasound before referral might shorten delays and improve early care.
Pediatric gastroenterologists, primary care clinicians and pediatricians who evaluate children with possible IBD, parents and caregivers of children with persistent GI symptoms, and health systems designing referral pathways.
The authors classified diagnostic pathways as appropriate, partially appropriate, or inappropriate based on referral trajectory and whether fecal calprotectin (FC) and/or abdominal ultrasound (AUS) were done before referral. Most pathways were rated inappropriate (60.9%); only 17.2% were deemed appropriate.
FC was done pre-referral in ~60% of patients and AUS in ~42%; both were done together in ~33%. Shorter diagnostic delay was linked to acute severe colitis, hematochezia, fever, and weight loss, while severe intestinal presentations made appropriate investigations more likely.
Systemic or extraintestinal signs (for example oral aphthosis) were more often associated with inappropriate pathways. The authors conclude that standardized screening and referral protocols (including FC and AUS) before referral may improve timeliness and early management of pediatric IBD.
This is a retrospective, single-center study from Italy covering diagnoses from 2015–2025; findings describe associations not proven causation. The structured content is based on the article abstract.
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This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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