S1947 Patient Perceptions of Bowel Ultrasound: A Quantitative Evaluation of Satisfaction and Diagnostic Preference in IBD Care

Introduction: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) has been shown to be an accurate, non-invasive, point of care tool for monitoring disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While numerous studies have evaluated the diagnostic performance of IUS compared to other modalities, there is a notable gap in research related to patient perspectives on the role of IUS in IBD management. Methods: This study employed a quantitatively driven mixed-methods design, combining a cross-sectional survey and retrospective chart review. A 21-question Likert scale (0-10) survey was administered to patients who underwent an IUS as part of their IBD clinic visit. Survey questions explored 4 domains of the patient perspective as it relates to IUS: 1) patient experience of having an IUS performed 2) patient preferences of IUS vs other modalities to monitor disease activity 3) impact of IUS on the patient-provider relationship and 4) role of IUS in enhancing patients’ understanding of their disease. Demographic and clinical data were extracted via chart review. Non-parametric comparisons were made to compare responses by demographic and clinical subgroups. Results: A total of 57 patients completed the survey. Overall, patients reported a favorable experience with IUS (mean score: 9.15), preference of IUS over bloodwork, stool testing, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and colonoscopy (mean score: 7.64), positive patient-provider relationship (mean score: 8.07), and improved disease understanding (mean score: 7.74). The patient-provider relationship was enhanced more so in patients on steroids at the time of IUS than those not on steroids (8.70 vs 7.82, P = 0.03) and patient understanding was enhanced in patients with Crohn’s disease compared to ulcerative colitis (8.16 vs 7.18, P = .04). Conclusion: Patients reported high satisfaction with IUS, with consistently strong scores across all survey domains. Though small differences were seen in a few subgroups in selected domains, patients generally endorsed that IUS is well-tolerated, preferred over other diagnostic tests, enhances the patient-provider relationship, and improves their disease understanding. These results support the broader use of IUS as a preferred modality for IBD monitoring.