Patient Perspectives of Intestinal Ultrasound in IBD: A Quantitative Evaluation of Satisfaction and Diagnostic Preference

PURPOSE: 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 its diagnostic performance is well-established, there is a notable gap in research related to patient perspectives regarding the role of IUS in IBD management, including its impact on the patient-provider relationship, which has not been previously studied. METHODS: We conducted a quantitative study with a 21-question Likert scale (0-10) survey administered to patients undergoing IUS during routine IBD clinic visits. Survey questions assessed four domains: (1) patient experience with IUS, (2) preference of IUS versus other diagnostic modalities, (3) impact on the patient-provider relationship, and (4) the enhancement of disease understanding. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients completed the survey. Overall, patients reported high satisfaction with IUS (mean score: 9.15), preferred IUS over bloodwork, stool testing, CT/MRI, and colonoscopy (mean score: 7.64), and felt it positively impacted patient-provider relationship (mean score: 8.07), and disease understanding (mean score: 7.74). IUS was strongly preferred over stool testing and colonoscopy (mean scores: 10 for both). Patients on steroids reported greater enhancement of the patient-provider relationship (8.70 vs. 7.82, p = 0.03), and those with Crohn's disease reported greater improvement in disease understanding compared to ulcerative colitis (8.16 vs. 7.18, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Patients expressed high satisfaction with IUS across all survey domains. These findings support the broader use of IUS into IBD care, highlighting its value not only as a diagnostic tool but also in enhancing patient experience and engagement.