Accredited inflammatory bowel disease units are associated with better patient-reported experience: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Comprehensive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) units have been implemented to improve the quality of care delivered to patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Although accreditation programmes have improved structural and process quality indicators, little is known about their association with patients' healthcare experience. AIM: To compare patient-reported experience between patients receiving care in accredited and non-accredited IBD units. Secondary objectives were to compare perceived disease activity and selected organisational quality indicators. METHODS: Cross-sectional online survey conducted among members of the Associació de Malalts de Crohn i Colitis Ulcerosa de Catalunya. The questionnaire included nine prespecified individual PREM indicators previously developed and used by our group, a global five-point satisfaction score, the Manitoba Index and organisational quality indicators. Hospitals were classified as having or not having an accredited IBD unit according to the official information of the Grupo Español de Trabajo en Enfermedad de Crohn y Colitis Ulcerosa. Comparisons were performed using univariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 127 valid questionnaires were analysed (95 accredited units; 32 non-accredited units). All nine PREM showed significantly better scores in accredited units. Overall satisfaction was also significantly higher among patients attending accredited units, which also scored better for organisational quality indicators. No statistically significant difference was observed in disease activity measured by the Manitoba Index. CONCLUSIONS: Accredited IBD units are associated with substantially better patient-reported experience without statistically significant differences in patient-reported disease activity. These findings provide patient-centred evidence supporting this model of care.