ABSTRACT Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic inflammatory conditions of a recurrent nature, whose incidence and prevalence rates have increased worldwide. Aims: The aim of this study was to profile the doctors who treat patients with IBDs in Brazil and to understand and analyze the journey and importance of this care. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that descriptively and inferentially analyzed the pre-existing database of the Brazilian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group and through this observed the reality of care for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, in the country. Results: In the descriptive analysis, we found results regarding the physicians’ profile such as specialty, number of patients treated with these diseases and their difficulties in accessing medications, complementary exams, and multidisciplinary team. In the statistical analysis regarding the Human Development Index of the states, the significant results were related to workplace, difficulty in accessing medications, and referral to other specialists. Regarding the association of variables with medical demographics, the results were significant in relation to workplace, difficulty in accessing medications, and complementary exams. Conclusions: The study showed a profile of the doctors who treat patients with IBDs and who participated in this survey. In addition to analyzing and describing the doctor’s profile and their difficulties, we listed the main aspects that hinder both diagnosis and treatment, attributed to external factors, regardless of their reality and competence.
Craveiro et al. (Wed,) studied this question.