N05 Empowerment of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Effect on quality of life and disease control
Authors: Lavín Expósito C , Bouhmidi Assakali A , Sánchez Pardo A M , Rodriguez Romero V , Castellanos Ramirez C , Cofrade Delgado A M , Vozmediano Sánchez P , Velasco del Burgo M , Teno Félix M D G , Mozos Muñoz C , Jurado Monroy R M , Sánchez Pinilla J , Bonillo Merino C , Barreto Suarez E , Sánchez Alonso M , Salueña Salueña I 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition. The increasing number of cases and the diversity of treatments, significantly raises healthcare costs, making IBD a high-impact disease and a priority for healthcare systems.
IBD deeply affects patients’ quality of life, impacting their physical, emotional, and social well-being. A crucial factor in improving this situation for both patients and healthcare systems is promoting self-care.
Nurses play a vital role in educating patients and implementing self-care strategies.
Enhancing patients’ knowledge of their disease and their ability to identify and manage symptoms is essential for effective control.
Self-care activities are complex, requiring patients to become experts in various health-related aspects, including treatment adherence, adopting healthy lifestyle habits, and the ability to detect and respond to warning signs.
The primary objective of this study is to analyse whether a higher degree of empowerment in IBD patients is associated with more effective disease control and improvements in their quality of life and emotional well-being.

Methods
A descriptive observational cross-sectional study was conducted with consecutive sampling, including a total of 75 patients. Various measurement instruments were used for data collection, including the Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) and the Partial Mayo Score (PMS) for assessing disease activity; the Chronic Disease Patient Empowerment Questionnaire (CEPEC); the IBDQ-9 questionnaire to evaluate IBD-related quality of life; and the IBD-Control questionnaire to measure perceived disease control.

Results
A total of 75 patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were analyzed, of whom 62% were male and 38% female. The mean age of participants was 48 years.
A notable finding was that 62% of patients exhibited a high degree of empowerment. Among these highly empowered patients, 62% scored above 12 points on the IBD-Control questionnaire, indicating greater perceived control over their disease.
Regarding quality of life, as assessed by the IBDQ-9 questionnaire, the mean global score among patients was 77 points, reflecting a high perception of quality of life within this population.

Conclusion
Patients with greater empowerment have more effective control of their IBD.
A high degree of empowerment is associated with better quality of life and greater emotional stability.
Empowerment contributes to fewer hospitalisations and severe complications, which also reduces the economic burden on the healthcare system.
This suggests that promoting self-care education programmes led by advanced practice nurses could be a cost-effective strategy, improving disease self-management and contributing to greater satisfaction and quality of life.

References
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