P1115 Scoping the digital desert in Australian/New Zealand IBD care - A review of consumer available IBD-related mobile apps

Abstract Background Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is experiencing compounding prevalence with Australian prevalence expected to grow by 258% by 20301. Digital technologies hold promise for improving care quality and accessibility by virtue of scalability. Patient-facing mobile applications can be implemented across different stages including diagnosis, monitoring, facilitation of treatment, and research. These tools can empower patients, enhance engagement, and reduce care navigation stress Despite a number of IBD apps being described in literature or available to consumers, very few are accessible locally, whilst existing solutions offer limited functionality and fall short in supporting meaningful clinical use. Methods Two independent reviewers conducted a systematic search of the Australia/New Zealand Apple App Store and Android Play Store. The following search terms were included “colitis”, “ulcerative colitis”, “IBD”, “inflammatory bowel disease”, and “Crohn’s”. Apps were included if the title/description referenced IBD, excluding those focused on other gastrointestinal conditions. Non-English apps, and those limited or locked to a specific institution were also excluded. Results Within both stores, 49 apps were identified and 16 met the inclusion criteria. Most were free (14/16), though three required paid subscriptions. Only four apps reported medical professional input. Symptom tracking was the most common feature (10/16), followed by dietary logging (9/16). Fewer apps included medication management (5/16), educational content (4/16), or administrative tools (2/16). Symptom-tracking functionality was heteregenous, with only four incorporating validated measures such as SCCAI or HBI. Two apps included AI-based flare prediction. Dietary tools ranged from basic logging to AI-driven analysis. Four apps offered educational content covering topics such as lifestyle and wellbeing, medication, and disease-related information. Sources varied, with two providing expert-curated or medically reviewed material, while others were unsourced or AI-generated content. Additional features includ ed remote calprotectin testing, administrative tools and community support forums. Overall, functionality was fragmented across different apps, with nearly half (43.7%) of apps including one of the above categories, and the majority (62.5%) incorporated two or fewer feature categories. Conclusion The growing burden of IBD and its associated costs remain a challenge within current health system constraints. Digital technology holds promise in augmenting clinical care, yet most existing IBD apps offer narrow feature sets, lack health system integration, and are not personalised to individuals, thus limiting their usefulness in clinical settings. Reference: 1. Crohn’s Colitis Australia. State of the Nation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Australia: Final Report. February, 2025. Accessed May 1, 2025. https://crohnsandcolitis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CCA_State-of-the-Nation-in-IBD-1.pdf Conflict of interest: Dr. Chan, Patrick: No conflicts of interest. Wu, Rodger: No conflicts of interest. Andrews, Jane Mary: The work I will present was funded via CCCure. CCCure’s funding sources include grants for research and payments for data reports from Pharma including AbbVie, J&J, Takeda, Celltrion, Falk, Ferring, BMS, Janssen, Pfizer, Sandoz Connor, Susan Jane: Grant: This project is supported by a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Research Support: Abbvie, Agency for Clinical Innovation, Amgen, BMS, Chiesi, Celltrion, DrFalk, Ferring, Janssen, Medical Research Future Fund, Pfizer, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Partnership for Health, Research and Enterprise, Takeda and The Leona M and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust Ad Boards: Abbvie, Amgen, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Ferring, GSK, Janssen, Organon, Pfizer, Takeda Speaker Fees: Abbvie, Cornerstones Health, Dr Falk, Ferring, Janssen, Pfizer, Sandoz, Sydney IBD School, Takeda Educational Support: DrFalk, Sandoz, Takeda