Why is it important?
Safe, high-quality care doesn’t just happen. It relies on good coordination and communication between the different health care professionals involved in primary, secondary and tertiary care.
It’s important to develop shared care protocols to support the ongoing prescribing and monitoring of immunomodulatory therapies in general practice. And the arrangements and scope for this shared care must be defined clearly between the hospital team, GP and patient.
Once this is completed, it’s essential to inform the patient (verbally and through written information) what arrangements have been agreed with them for their care. The patient should know the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved, and when they should be referred back to hospital care. And they should be given this information using clear, straightforward and appropriate language – with contact details for the IBD team, so that they know how to get in touch if needed.
When it comes to sharing of information about test results or treatment changes, there should also be clear systems in place. These could include the use of IT/apps, written communication between the GP and hospital, and/or a patient-held record.