Clinical Approach to STRIDE-II in Real-Life Settings: Analysis and Practical Recommendations.

Background: We aimed to (1) analyze the applicability of the updated Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE-II) recommendations in real-world clinical practice, (2) identify barriers to their implementation, and (3) propose practical measures to overcome these obstacles.

Methods: This qualitative study was based on a survey, a literature review, and expert opinions. Nine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) experts identified 7 areas likely to be controversial or potential implementation barriers in daily clinical practice: endoscopy, histology, ultrasound, quality of life, biomarkers, symptom control, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Based on this, a survey was carried out among educational course participants. The experts discussed the literature review and survey results and proposed several statements and practical actions.

Results: A total of 55 gastroenterologists answered the survey. The reported difficulty level in reaching STRIDE-II treatment goals in clinical practice was high. Only 22% of participants performed clinical remission assessments using clinical indexes and PROs. Seventy percent of responders did not use fecal calprotectin cutoffs and considered changes from the previous levels instead. Mucosal healing as a long-term therapeutic goal was considered necessary to be individualized in specific patient subgroups (eg, elderly/fragile patients, multiple treatment failures, and last-line therapies). Other barriers, like the lack of access to imaging techniques or insufficient knowledge and skills among healthcare professionals, were detected. The experts suggested adding less stringent treatment goals and measurements, patient stratification, local adaptations, educational activities, and research.

Conclusions: STRIDE-II recommendations face various implementation barriers needing careful evaluation in order to enhance their adoption in clinical practice, and ultimately improve outcomes in IBD patients.