Testing the SMART-IBD Smartphone App to Improve Medication Use and Self-Care in Teens with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness of the SMART-IBD smartphone app in improving medication adherence and self-management skills in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years with Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBD, including Crohns Disease, ulcerative colitis, or indeterminate colitis. This randomized controlled trial compares 35 youth using the app with 35 youth in an attention control group who will only complete daily symptom diaries. The study is conducted by the Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati. Participants in the experimental group will use the SMART-IBD app, which provides daily medication and diary reminders, educational content about self-management, and monthly engagement challenges focusing on adherence, sleep, and diary use. The control group will complete daily symptom diaries without receiving the apps intervention content. The study includes one month of baseline symptom and adherence diary collection, followed by a baseline assessment, five months of intervention or control activities, and a post-treatment assessment. Throughout the study, participants will complete daily symptom diaries and monthly assessments related to medication adherence, disease activity, sleep duration, and stress over six months. The research team will monitor adherence and other health outcomes using these measures. Participants must have internet access and a smartphone to engage with the app and regularly complete diaries and assessments during the five-month intervention period and follow-up visits.

Evaluation of the SMART IBD App in Pediatric IBD