Cure8 research brief
Many people with IBD experience persistent fatigue, pain and faecal incontinence even when inflammation is controlled; this programme tested a supported online self-management approach to help those symptoms and assessed feasibility, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness.
Adults with IBD experiencing fatigue, pain or urgency/faecal incontinence; IBD clinicians and nurses; researchers of digital interventions and health economists.
This abstract reports the IBD-BOOST research programme, which developed and tested a 12-session supported online self-management programme for people with IBD experiencing fatigue, abdominal pain and urgency/faecal incontinence.
The work included interviews, a large survey, a feasibility study using a checklist/algorithm to identify medically reversible causes (including fecal calprotectin sampling), and a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing 6 months access to IBD-BOOST versus usual care.
The trial (n≈780) found no statistically significant difference between arms on disease-specific quality of life (UK IBD Questionnaire) or Global Rating of Symptom Relief at 6 months.
Compliance with the online programme was low (57% completed ≥4 sessions) and a complier-averaged analysis suggested benefit among participants who engaged with the intervention. Process evaluation indicated high fidelity from facilitators but low participant adherence.
The economic analysis reported small QALY gains and estimated cost savings, but interpretation should consider uncertainty around those estimates.
Based on the abstract. The randomised trial did not show significant benefit in primary outcomes in the full sample; benefits were suggested for participants who complied with the programme. The study population lacked diversity (predominantly White, English-speaking).
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
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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