The IBD Registry has published its annual report on the use of biological therapies in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), following an exceptionally busy year to deliver on the increasing elements of Quality Improvement (QI) for IBD in the UK. We are proud to have been working at the heart of initiatives which seek to drive improvements in clinical outcomes and patient experience.
A key factor in our report has been the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG)’s IBD Section initiative to fully revise the IBD Clinical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which completed in June 2023 with formal publication in Frontline Gastroenterology. This has been alongside the 2023 IBD UK Benchmarking surveys, for which we have led on the data collection and management.
The revised KPIs additionally assess time from referral to first treatment and the use of corticosteroids, alongside advanced therapies pre-screening and assessment. Whilst the move to these new metrics is underway, the 2023 report reviews the previous KPIs, examines the differences in performance of longstanding and newer participants in the audit, and reviews the availability of existing information held by the Registry on steroids use and on data completeness. Finally, we introduce a new graphical method for reporting performance that participants may find might be more intuitive and helpful for action.
Throughout our work on these QI programmes, we continue to focus our efforts on supporting IBD teams in data delivery while the transition of the national IBD Clinical Audit is taking place. We have continued quarterly reporting of IBD teams’ data and, in addition, have been reviewing ways to receive the data for analysis of the new KPIs by updating our dataset and the development of a new online tool.
This year’s report is published with huge thanks for the sustained participation and commitment of IBD teams and our partners despite ongoing challenges facing the NHS. Our combined efforts aim to improve treatment and quality of care for the ultimate beneficiaries, people with IBD in the UK.