11.05.2024
Disease Management
$638,508.00
18 months
Implementation of a Lower GI Diagnostic Pathway in Primary Healthcare and development and dissemination of a Lower GI Patient Toolkit
Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis for all GI conditions significantly impact both patients and the resources at the National Health Service. Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients who wait the longest for a diagnosis double their risk of adverse clinical outcomes such as fibrosis, complications, and surgery. Furthermore, many conditions present with similar lower GI symptoms, causing ambiguity and inconsistencies for HCPs in testing and triaging, and can contribute to mounting anxiety for patients' pre-diagnosis. The goal of this grant is to familiarize primary healthcare professionals with the Lower Gastrointestinal Primary Care Diagnostic Pathway and use it to assess and accurately refer individuals presenting with lower GI symptoms. Concomitantly, raise awareness of the Patient Toolkit so that individuals experiencing lower GI symptoms have the information they need to initiate a discussion with an HCP.