Acceptability, feasibility, and impact of the MyGut digital health platform in the monitoring and management of inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Digital health monitoring may help facilitate self-management strategies when caring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aims: This study investigated the feasibility of implementing the MyGut health application when caring for patients with IBD and evaluated whether its use improved health outcomes. Methods: We conducted a prospective trial in 2 Canadian hospitals from 2020 to 2023. Patients with IBD were recruited from gastroenterology clinics, and the MyGut application was installed onto their mobile devices. Metrics such as acceptability, satisfaction, feasibility, quality-of-life scores (measured through the short IBD questionnaire [SIBDQ]), and resource utilization were collected throughout the 1-year follow-up period. Results: Of the 84 patients enrolled, 58 patients (69%) continued to use the app until the study completion. At recruitment, all 84 patients (100%) were willing to use the MyGut application after a brief tutorial. There was a significant improvement in the SIBDQ scores after 1 year of MyGut use (mean = 56.0, SD 8.85 vs 52.0, SD 9.84) (P = .012). However, only 42.9% (21/49) of the patients were willing to continue using the application after 1 year, a significant decrease compared with the 71.4% (35/49) who were willing to continue after 2 months (P = .001). No differences were observed in the number of emergency room visits/hospitalizations (P = .78) before and after 1 year of MyGut use. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that patients are willing to use digital health monitoring platforms and this may lead to improved quality of life. However, sustained efforts must be made to optimize its long-term feasibility.