If you or someone you love lives with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or another form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you know how complicated treatment can be. From navigating flare-ups and medications to seeing specialists and managing your long-term health, there can be a lot of moving parts.
To help make care more consistent across Canada, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, along with leading doctors, nurses, researchers, and patient partners through the Promoting Access and Care through Centres of Excellence (PACE) network, developed the IBD Clinical Care Pathways.
But what are Clinical Care Pathways?
A roadmap for care
The IBD Clinical Care Pathways can be thought of as a roadmap for how IBD should be diagnosed, treated, and managed over time. Based on evidence and expert advice, it helps healthcare professionals ensure they provide the best care possible.
These pathways are designed to provide clear, consistent steps around selecting treatment options, monitoring for complications or side effects, surgery, and changes in care throughout someone’s IBD journey.
As Dr. Karen Kroeker from the University of Alberta notes, “Clinical Care Pathways are step-by-step guides that help doctors and health care teams know what to do and when, so people with IBD get the right care at the right time. These pathways are based on the best available research and use clear checklists and protocols to make sure that IBD care is consistent across the health system”.
Unfortunately, not everyone in Canada living with Crohn’s or colitis has access to the same care. Depending on where you live, your treatment options can vary. That can lead to delays, unnecessary procedures, or missed opportunities to feel better sooner.
The IBD Clinical Care Pathways aim to:
- Standardize care so you can expect high-quality treatment
- Speed up diagnosis and treatment by guiding healthcare teams
- Reduce complications by spotting issues early and acting fast
- Improve communication between your doctors, specialists, hospital staff, and others
Improved patient outcomes
While these tools are mainly used by healthcare providers, they’re designed to directly benefit the person living with IBD. With these pathways, you're more likely to receive the care you need. They aim to prevent gaps in care, especially during important moments in life, like transitioning from pediatric to adult care, travel, or deciding to start a family. They also aim to support better long-term health through regular monitoring and preventive care.
These tools are available online for healthcare providers to access. For more information, check out Clinical Care Pathways.