Abstract

Aims and objectives. To assess disease-related knowledge among patients withinflammatory bowel disease and to identify the factors that are possibly associatedwith the knowledge level.Background. Disease-related knowledge can positively influence the acceptance ofthe disease, increase treatment compliance and improve the quality of life inpatients with inflammatory bowel disease.Design. An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted and prospectivelyincluded patients from the inflammatory bowel disease programme between Octo-ber 2014–July 2015.Methods. A Spanish-translated version of the 24-item Crohn’s and Colitis Knowl-edge score was used to assess disease-related knowledge. Patients also completeda demographic and clinical questionnaire.Results. A total of 203 patients were included, 62% were female, and 66% werediagnosed with ulcerative colitis; the median age was 34 years (range 18–79), andthe median disease duration was four years. The median disease-related knowl-edge score was 9 (range 1–20). Only 29% of the patients answered more than50% of the questions correctly. Lower disease-related knowledge was observed inquestions related to pregnancy/fertility and surgery/complications. Patients olderthan 50 years, with ulcerative colitis, with disease durations less than five yearsand patients without histories of surgery exhibited lower disease-related knowl-edge. There was no association between the knowledge scores and the educationallevels.Conclusions. The patients who attended our inflammatory bowel disease pro-gramme exhibited poor disease-related knowledge that was similar to the knowl-edge levels that have been observed in developed countries. It is necessary toassess patient knowledge to develop educational strategies and evaluate the influ-ences of these strategies on patient compliance and quality of life.