Technology makes it easier and cheaper to see your doctor, which may encourage you to check in more often. Regularly touching base with your doctor via telehealth may, in turn, help you manage your condition better and even reduce the severity and frequency of flare-ups, according to a study published in March 2020 in the journal Smart Homecare Technology and TeleHealth. “There’s no question we’ll find that a mix of telehealth and inpatient appointments will [lead to] better outcomes,” says Louis Cohen, MD, an assistant professor of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Ready to try it? Here are eight things you need to know about telemedicine if you have Crohn’s disease.
You’ll Have to Visit Your Doctor to Get a Diagnosis
If you’ve never been diagnosed with Crohn’s but are experiencing symptoms that may be caused by an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as abdominal cramps, persistent diarrhea, and rectal bleeding, you’ll need to visit your doctor in person, says Dr. Cohen. To make a diagnosis, your doctor will likely use an endoscope (a small camera affixed to a long tube) to look closely inside your colon, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your doctor may also want to take a small tissue sample, or biopsy, of your colon as well as schedule other imaging tests, such as a fluoroscopic X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), before making a diagnosis. Being able to quickly schedule a telehealth appointment may also help you manage the disease better, especially when you’re having a flare. Checking in with your doctor helps ensure you get rapid treatment to feel better faster.
You Can Schedule Appointments More Frequently
“Appointment times are more efficient with telehealth,” says Cohen. He says doctors often use telehealth to assess how new treatments are working and to discuss new or worsening symptoms that are in line with the symptoms people have already experienced. You can also use telehealth to get answers to logistical questions about how to manage your disease in day-to-day life, including information about how to file for disability or take medications, he adds.
Telehealth Can Save You Time and Money
A study published in November 2018 in the journal Clinical Epidemiology found that people with IBD who live in rural areas are more likely to visit the emergency department and be hospitalized than those who live in urban areas. For many people who live outside of cities, seeing a gastroenterologist who’s experienced in IBD management may require time-consuming and costly travel. Telehealth with online video conferencing can be an affordable and efficient alternative. Because Cohen works in a major hospital that specializes in IBD, a lot of his patients have come to him as their second opinion. “We see them in the clinic, do an exam, and do future appointments via telehealth, especially if we’re working with their local provider for day-to-day stuff,” he says. “Telehealth is ideal, because patients don’t have to trek to New York.” Doctors can even prescribe new medications and most tests, including blood tests, MRIs, and CT scans, via telehealth. “Many local lab facilities are covered by insurance,” says Cohen.
Telehealth Helps You Build a Better Relationship With Your Doctor
Checking in more frequently with your healthcare provider can help you build a better relationship, says Cohen. “It promotes more frequent conversations, where patients feel more at ease,” he says. You may also feel less rushed if you know your next appointment isn’t months away. “Patients sometimes panic at the end of [in-person] visits because they have so many questions they can’t remember,” says Cohen. “I notice that telehealth makes them feel more at ease, because they feel less pressure to remember their questions.”
You May Have an Easier Time Seeing a Mental Health Professional
People with Crohn’s disease may be prone to depression or anxiety, according to a study published in October 2017 in the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. With telemedicine, it can be easier to connect with a mental health practitioner who can help you manage the emotional side effects of Crohn’s. “Psychologists and social workers have been doing telehealth for a very long time,” says Cohen. Telehealth allows you to check in whenever you need help most, and you may find you feel more comfortable having these conversations from your own home.
You’ll Need to Visit Your Doctor in Person for Some Symptoms
It’s not possible to schedule every appointment to be from home. You’ll need to visit your doctor in person if you have certain complications, such as perianal disease. “An exam is key, because it distinguishes what could be a complicated disease that could require surgical intervention versus a milder disease that we can treat with medicine,” says Cohen. Ask your doctor when you can meet via telehealth and when an in-office visit is required. Cohen says you should be sure to see your doctor in person if you’re having more serious systemic (body-wide) symptoms, such as long-lasting fever, weight loss, or trouble eating.
Telehealth May Help You Better Manage Your Crohn’s
Managing a chronic disease like Crohn’s requires ongoing monitoring by a medical professional. More frequent check-ins via telehealth can help you better understand your condition and how you can take an active role in your healthcare decisions. The research published in March 2020 suggests that telemedicine also helps doctors keep closer tabs on their patients’ symptoms and collect diagnostic information. This helps them evaluate how well treatments are working, which, in turn, helps halt the disease’s progress. For all of these reasons, Cohen believes telehealth may improve medicine adherence, reduce the frequency of flares, and even lessen the need for surgeries. Telehealth may be especially powerful when paired with technology that tracks symptoms. A study published in August 2019 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research suggests that IBD symptom-tracking apps may improve quality of life, quality of care, treatment adherence, and medication management. Other research, published in September 2017 in the journal The Lancet, suggests that people who use remote patient-monitoring platforms to manage IBD have fewer outpatient doctor visits and hospital admissions. Before your telehealth appointment, it’s a good idea to make all of the same preparations you would for an in-office visit. “When you’re dealing with a chronic disease, it’s critical for the provider to know everything that happened before,” says Cohen. Bring notes on your symptoms as well as records of your medical history, endoscopy and imaging test results, lab work, current medications, and previous treatments. To make your visit efficient, come prepared with key questions and concerns you’d like to discuss. While it helps to find a quiet space for your call, try not to stress too much if you are interrupted. “It’s a privilege to be invited into people’s homes,” says Cohen. “Seeing a patient’s dog or child reinforces a connection. For certain providers, it helps to see patients as individuals. It can give greater insight as to why we’re treating them — to help [them] get back to this world we see.”
