Consumer Education and Awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Overview

The purpose of the grant opportunity is to improve the wellbeing of people affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by increasing the availability of evidence-based information. Funding for this grant opportunity is associated with recommendations contained in the National Strategic Action Plan for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (the IBD Action Plan), launched by the Australian Government in 2019. Patients with IBD mostly undertake self-management of their condition away from healthcare settings. Therefore good health literacy and patient knowledge are important. Evidence indicates that patients who are well informed about their IBD and its treatment have a greater chance of achieving a better quality of life, and as such, knowledge allows them to adapt to the physical, social and psychological effects of their illness. In theory, better-educated patients should be more likely to manage their disease appropriately, for example by attending colonoscopies or adhering to medication protocols.It is assumed that providing patients with health education about their condition, both how to cope with it and how to manage it, will lead to changes in health behaviours that will in turn improve health (and other) outcomes. The objectives of this grant opportunity is to support education and awareness activity that aligns with recommended actions contained in the publicly available IBD Action Plan, specifically: - the development of self-management focussed information materials based on evidence-based information - as per recommendation 4a) of the IBD Action Plan . The intended outcomes of the grant are: - improved consumer knowledge and self-management of IBD; and - reduced instances of complications from, and hospitalisations for, IBD.