The IBD Registry has published its annual report on the use of biological therapies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as it prepares for the expansion of the national audit into other vital aspects of patient care in 2023.
We have seen further improvement in the use of safety assessments (pre-treatment screening) before a patient starts a biologic, from 69% in the period 2016-2019 to 81% in the period 2019-2022. Reporting of assessments of how effective the treatment is for the patient have plateaued, and this is likely due to a range of factors – not least the enormous challenges for both patients and IBD teams posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are pleased to report that submission of new cases of IBD to the Registry has been sustained, allowing us to paint an ever-clearer picture of IBD in England and Wales. With the introduction of our new Data Access Portal in early 2022, the Registry is looking forward to welcoming new submissions from services in Scotland and Northern Ireland – enabling our database to represent all four nations for the first time.
And looking to 2023, we are delighted to be at the heart of delivering a broader quality improvement programme on behalf of IBD UK. The Improving Quality in Crohn’s disease and Colitis (IQICC) programme will include new Key Performance Indicators developed by the British Society of Gastroenterology’s IBD Section. These include new indicators to assess the time from referral to diagnosis and treatment and the use of corticosteroid drugs, as well as retaining aspects of the current biologics audit. The new KPIs are also reflected in the BSG’s Quality Standards Framework
We’ll begin collecting data for this programme next year, taking advantage of the range of improvements we have made to our processes to minimise work for clinical teams.
This year’s report is published with huge thanks for the sustained participation of IBD teams despite ongoing challenges facing the NHS. Ultimately, our combined efforts aim to improve treatment and quality of care for people with IBD in the UK.