Telenutrition for the management of inflammatory bowel disease: Benefits, limits, and future perspectives

Abstract

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require lifelong and personalized care by a multidisciplinary healthcare team. However, the traditional medical model is not ideal for patients who require continuous close monitoring and whose symptoms may dramatically worsen between regularly scheduled visits. Additionally, close dietary follow-up and monitoring of IBD in a traditional setting are challenging because of the disease complexity, high pressure on outpatient clinics with a small number of IBD specialist dietitians, and rising incidence. Given the significant burden of IBD, there is a need to develop effective dietary management strategies. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic caused an unprecedented shift from in-person care to delivering health care via technological remote devices. Traditional nutrition therapy and consultation can be provided by telenutrition through remote electronic communication applications that could greatly benefit patient care. Telenutrition might be useful, safe, and cost-effective compared with standard care. It is likely that virtual care for chronic diseases including IBD will continue in some form into the future. This review article summarizes the evidence about telenutrition applications in the management of IBD patients, and we gave an overview of the acceptance and impact of these interventions on health outcomes.

Keywords: Telenutrition, Telemedicine, Digital health, Inflammatory bowel disease, Symptom monitoring, Self-management

Core Tip: Routine nutritional assessment, education, and close communication about diet are essential for professionally recommended diets, and they are a potential therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel disease onset and severity. Traditional nutrition therapy and consultation can be provided by telenutrition through remote electronic communication applications, which could greatly benefit patient care. Telenutrition is a self-management tool offering cost-effective, quick, and accessible personalized dietary advice for inflammatory bowel disease patients that require lifelong follow-up and maintenance treatment. However, there are certain barriers to legacies, education, sufficient equipment, and privacy. Further studies and interventions should focus on removing barriers while improving benefits.