P0406 Examining attitudes to intestinal ultrasound in inflammatory bowel disease: a national survey of Australian gastroenterologists

Abstract Background Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is a non-invasive, accurate, and increasingly utilised tool for the assessment and monitoring of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This Australian survey, endorsed by the Gastroenterology Network of Intestinal Ultrasound (GENIUS), aimed to evaluate clinician attitudes towards IUS and identify barriers to its broader national implementation. Methods An online survey was distributed to adult and paediatric gastroenterologists and trainees across Australia with data collected between September and December 2024. Results 122 respondents participated, comprising adult (52%), paediatric (25%), and trainee (23%) gastroenterologists, with two-thirds reporting a subspecialty interest in IBD (Table 1). Nearly all agreed that IUS has clinical utility in Crohn’s disease (99%) and ulcerative colitis (96%), with 96% considering IUS standard of care in IBD. Clinical confidence in IUS was high (84%), particularly among IBD specialists (95% v 73%; p < 0.01), though lower than for colonoscopy (98%) and magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) (97%) (Figure 1). IUS was also perceived as more resource-efficient than colonoscopy (96%) and MRE (88%). While 82% of respondents had access to IUS, mainly in an outpatient capacity, availability was lower in non-metropolitan locations. Among clinicians without access, almost all agreed that IUS access would improve IBD care; with scarcity of IUS funding and trained personnel cited as barriers. Almost half of respondents had completed or were undertaking IUS training, with 40% of remaining respondents interested in future training. Conclusion Australian clinicians widely support IUS in IBD care. Expanding access requires renewed focus on service development and training initiatives, particularly in underserved areas, and cost-effectiveness studies to support these efforts. Conflict of interest: Dr. Chen, Lynna: No conflict of interest Ruddick-Collins, Leonie: N/A An, Yoon-Kyo: Yoon-Kyo An has received speaking and consulting fees from Abbvie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Chiesi, Dr Falk, Ferring, Janssen, Pfizer, Sandoz, Shire and Takeda served on advisory boards member for Abbvie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Chiesi, Janssen, NPS Medicine wise, Microba received research and educational funding from Abbvie, Celltrion, Dr Falk, Janssen, Pfizer, Sandoz and Takeda. Baraty, Brandon: N/A Begun, Jakob: J.B. has received honoraria, research grants or consulting fees from Abbvie, Janssen, Takeda, Pfizer, Ferring, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead, Tillott’s, Sandoz, Celltrion, Chiesi, Dr. Falk, Microba, Glaxo Smith Klein, Antara, Suono, Therpeutic Guidelines, Research Review, NHMRC, US Department of Defence, The Gutsy Foundation, The Gastroenterological Society of Australia, The University of Queensland, The Viertel Foundation, and The Mater Foundation. Boyapati, Ray Kiran: RKB has received education support from Dr Falk Farma, speaking fees from Abbvie and Takeda, and consultancy fees from Johnson and Johnson. Bryant, Robert Venning: Robert V. Bryant has received grant/research support/speaker honoraria/advisory board fees from AbbVie, Ferring, Janssen, Shire, Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Emerge Health and is a shareholder in Biomebank. Smith, Rebecca: RLS has received educational support from Dr Falk Pharma and Abbvie, speaker fees from AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson and consultancy fees from Johnson and Johnson. Srinivasan, Ashish: AS has served as a speaker for Arrotex Pharmaceuticals and has received advisory fees or conference support from AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Dr Falk Pharma.