51: Inflammatory Bowel Disease: in conversation with an IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist

RCGP CIRC Podcast

This podcast has been produced for primary care clinicians who care for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). GP, Dr Charlie Andrews, speaks to Aileen Fraser, an IBD specialist nurse at University Hospitals Bristol, about her role, the sorts of questions she receives from GPs, how she can help support patients and clinicians in the community. This episode is packed with useful information for clinicians and is a must for anyone who would like to better understand the role of the IBD nurse specialist.
One in three patients with Crohns and Colitis do not have contact with an IBD specialist nurse, however, this role is expanding across the UK. In areas where patients do have contact with a specialist nurse, they are highly valued (94% of patients who had contact with an IBD specialist nurse said that this link with the hospital was important in a 2016 survey).
By working collaboratively with secondary care colleagues, primary care clinicians can have a significant impact on the quality of care provided to these patients, and the IBD specialist nurse can act as an invaluable link between primary and secondary care.