Funding outcome

IBD affects more than 230,000 Canadians, and people are being diagnosed at younger years of life. This means that women with IBD will often have to make informed decision regarding the management of IBD during pregnancy. While clinicians and health care team members may have knowledge regarding the management of IBD before, during, and after pregnancy, sharing the evidence and science behind the benefit of optimizing maternal IBD disease during this crucial time period is often lost in translation to the patient with IBD. Helping women with IBD and their health care team make informed decisions in this important time period has the potential to influence the immediate and longer term health of the mothers with IBD and their infants. Our survey study in 2012-2014 confirmed a lack of knowledge regarding reproductive issues in IBD, and identified 5 areas of knowledge that patients wished to learn about - genetics, fertility, medications, surgery, delivery/breast feeding. Therefore, we developed and tested our interactive online educational portal that presented users with information regarding these 5 areas, and showed improvement in knowledge, and a reduction in concerns, relating to pregnancy and IBD. The educational modules are now publically available, however user feedback indicated a need for an interactive resource that could guide women with IBD through the stages of pregnancy by providing information and additional resources or direct them to appropriate resources. Thus, the proposed project aims to develop and test a decision aid for women with IBD regarding pregnancy and IBD. The end product will be a useable decision aid that can be shared and used by women with IBD who are considering pregnancy or already pregnant to help them make informed decisions regarding the management of their IBD.