Abstract
Abstract Background There are about 58000 Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients in Finland. The number has doubled in ten years. Over 5500 IBD patients live in the Pirkanmaa region. Patients are treated in three different hospitals and there are eight trained IBD nurses in adult services. Patients can contact a call back-system at any hour of the day. With growing number of patient contacts there is a need for additional contact channels and ways of support for patients care. Methods TaysPolku is an app developed by Buddy HealthCare where IBD patients can see their appointments, upcoming procedures, information packages, medication instructions, videos and questionnaires related to their treatment all in one place. TaysPolku provides automatic reminders and enables them to contact their own care unit directly via message. IBD nurses has been part of creating material for TaysPolku. IBD nurse explains the app and creates TaysPolku for the patient after providing the necessary information. The app is downloaded from app stores, verified by strong authentication. The app works with any face ID or pin number chosen by the patient. Results TaysPolku was introduced in June 2021 and the first users were patients receiving intravenous biologicals. IBD nurses informed about the new service during the infusion visits and provided written material. In the next phase, TaysPolku was set up for biological self-injecting patients. Currently, TaysPolku have been created 299 patients at Tampere University Hospital Tays. The utilization rate of the created TaysPolku is high. Messages on TaysPolku has been send/received 3896 times. The messages feature enables the care unit to reach everyone using TaysPolku simultaneously. It is used in all three hospitals and every IBD nurses take care of it. Satisfaction with TaysPolku has been good for both patients and IBD nurses. Patient questionnaire highlighted the benefits, and the answers highlighted the ease of use of the service. "A well-functioning system " "Reminds me very much of the lab, questions and treatment days. Easy to useand connect. There could also be a connection to other departments when care is taken in other departments as well" Conclusion Different forms of service are needed with the growing number of patients, and a digital app that supports the patient's self-care has been proven to work. Further development is underway to offer a similar service to all IBD patients in the region.
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