Inflammatory bowel disease nurses' views on taking on a new role to support an online self-management programme for symptoms of fatigue, pain and urgency: a qualitative study to maximise intervention acceptance

Abstract

Background: Patients can be empowered through self-managing their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms. It is important to understand how specialist IBD nurses can practically support patients to do this. Aim: To explore the perceptions of IBD specialist nurses about the implementation of a proposed nurse-guided online cognitive behavioural self-management intervention to manage symptoms of fatigue, pain and urgency. Methods: Five semi-structured focus groups (45 participants) were conducted with IBD nurses, and themes were identified through thematic analysis. Findings: Four themes were identified: (1) role of nurse as a facilitator; (2) nurse competence in facilitating the intervention; (3) nurse perception of patient needs; and (4) intervention implementation. Conclusions: The results of this study helped to refine the proposed guided online intervention with a view to sustainable implementation in clinical practice. Refinements included in-depth training and minimisation of additional workload for nurses through reducing patient contact, including an online messaging system for communication with patients.