Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic condition characterised by periods of relapse and remission. Delays in recognising disease activity can result in severe flares, hospitalisation, increased corticosteroid exposure, and reduced patient quality of life. Traditional reactive models of care often fail to identify at-risk patients promptly. Implementing proactive strategies, such as patient tagging systems, may facilitate earlier detection of disease activity and enable timely interventions, improving outcomes and efficiency within IBD services. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at risk of disease flares that can lead to hospitalisation, increased corticosteroid use, and reduced quality of life. Early identification of patients showing signs of active disease is essential to enable timely assessment and intervention. Traditional reactive approaches can result in delayed treatment and poorer outcomes. Methods A tagging system was implemented within the IBD service to flag patients who may require urgent review. Patients were tagged based on criteria including symptom worsening, abnormal biomarkers, missed appointments, or recent medication changes. The multidisciplinary team used these tags to prioritise follow-up, initiate early interventions, and coordinate care efficiently. Results Following implementation, flagged patients were assessed more rapidly, leading to earlier treatment adjustments. Preliminary data indicate reduced time to review for at-risk patients and a trend towards decreased flare severity and hospital admissions. Team communication improved, ensuring patients did not “fall through the gaps” in care. Conclusion Implementing a patient tagging system in IBD care supports early identification of disease activity, facilitates timely treatment, and improves multidisciplinary coordination. This approach has the potential to enhance patient outcomes and service efficiency and may serve as a model for proactive management in other chronic disease services. The patient tagging system demonstrates a practical, scalable approach to proactive IBD management. By identifying patients at risk of flare earlier, the service was able to initiate timely interventions, potentially preventing complications and reducing hospitalisations. Enhancing visibility of high-risk patients also improved team coordination and care continuity. Limitations include the short follow-up period and the observational nature of preliminary outcomes. Future work should include longer-term evaluation and integration with electronic health records to automate flagging. Conflict of interest: Scott, Glyn: No conflict of interest Brown, Adam: No conflict of interest
Scott et al. (Thu,) studied this question.