This ongoing project, funded by Crohn’s and Colitis UK and operated in conjunction with NHS Highland, will study  the introduction of smart phones into the routine care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease in a remote and rural setting.

OpenBrolly is providing the technical leadership for the project, including the design of a smart phone app, secure information transmission channels, information storage and management and an information dashboard for clinical staff. OpenBrolly is working closely with the NHS to meet technical and governance standards while delivering an easy and effective user-experience for both patients and clinical staff.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) which represent common causes of morbidity in Western Europe and North America. There are over 600 patients in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland alone with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Many of these patients live in remote and rural settings and whose access to health care is challenged by geography. Some patients live at least 4 hours drive away from secondary care provision.