Abstract
Background: The integration of care for People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an indispensable response to the challenges posed by the management of having a chronic disease condition, both for affected people and for organizations and healthcare professionals. Technological and scientific advances have brought more and more approaches to the treatment and control of IBD, focusing on the person's quality of life. However, this progress is combined with constraints caused by the organization and management of health services, as well as the rapid evolution of health systems, variables that generate a complex combination of challenges for everyone involved (1–3). Chronic illness generates new needs in various dimensions of life, requiring diversity and continuity of care, which the current model has difficulty responding to. Therefore, it is crucial that health services develop care environments that respond to the needs of people with IBD, and that health professionals implement multifaceted strategies that encourage people's motivation and confidence in health care (4,5).
Approach: Care integration has become an urgent need in the face of population aging and the growing impact of chronic diseases on health systems and society. Recent studies show that care integration models bring significant benefits to chronic disease management, with obvious gains in people's health and well-being (6–9). The Integrated Care Model for People with IBD has the main objective of ensuring that People have access, in a timely manner and in the appropriate place, to all types of necessary care. The guidance of care planning and health policies in this matter directs the focus to the relevance of integrated and person-centered care in health systems. This attitude raises the level of care, generates health gains and significantly improves the satisfaction and quality of life of people with IBD (3), demonstrating a clear relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3). Therefore, we propose to develop a qualitative study of an inductive nature using the Grounded Theory method, with the objective of identifying the dimensions of the needs of the Person with IBD as a contribution to the construction of a model of care integration - Model Promoting Well-Being in Health.
Results: We plan to obtain the first results in February 2025.
Implications: In the management of chronic disease, a continuous and coordinated process of care provision is essential, which allows people to feel involved throughout the entire journey, with effective and timely responses to their needs. In inflammatory bowel disease, several authors warn about the feeling of “abandonment” experienced by patients, due to the fact that professionals focus essentially on treating the disease, disregarding the way it affects their lives in its different dimensions, in a clear antagonistic view of priorities (10,11). We believe that this Model will generally reflect the Pillars of Integrated Care, encouraging practices that positively impact the accessibility and quality of care, as well as promoting intersectoral partnerships, reinforcing organizational structures and their professionals.