UCSF Inflammatory Bowel Disease Virtual Care Chat to Include Patient Education with New Grant from Pfizer
Professor of Clinical Medicine Uma Mahadevan, M.D.
All 3,000 UCSF patients seen annually for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are offered enrollment in a virtual care chat program that monitors symptoms and disease activity at regular intervals between visits.
Now, with a $200,000 educational grant from Pfizer,
Professor of Clinical Medicine Uma Mahadevan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Urology Anobel Odisho, M.D., M.P.H., CDHI Product Manager Olivia Bigazzi, and other virtual care team members are developing an education component to add to the chat. This component will provide reminders for key tasks such as vaccinations or to schedule a colonoscopy and will also provide educational videos on topics including smoking cessation, diet, and mental health.
These healthcare maintenance (HCM) recommendations are critical to providing high-quality care and improving both quality and length of life for patients with IBD who are immunosuppressed and at increased risk for malignancy.
The grant will further allow the team to track enrollment, engagement, and the resulting impact on the enrolled patient’s fulfillment of HCM goals at their six-month check-in.
Anobel Odisho, M.D., M.P.H., shares more about the grant and the team's goals in this video.