IBD barriers across the continents: a continent-specific analysis - Australasia

Australasia, encompassing Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, has some of the highest prevalence's of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. The way IBD medicine is practiced varies between and within these countries. There are numerous shared issues of IBD care between Australia and New Zealand, whereas Papua New Guinea has its' own unique set of circumstances. This review looks to explore some of the barriers to IBD care across the continent from the perspective of local IBD healthcare professionals. Barriers to IBD care that are explored include access to IBD multidisciplinary teams, provision of nutritional-based therapies, the prevalence and engagement of IBD-associated mental health disorders, access to medicine, access to endoscopy, rural barriers to care, Indigenous IBD care and paediatric issues. We look to highlight areas where improvements to IBD care across Australasia could be made as well as address research needs.

Automated summary

Australasia, including Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, has a high prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and the practice of IBD medicine varies within this region. This review discusses barriers to IBD care across Australasia from the perspective of local healthcare professionals, including access to multidisciplinary teams, nutritional therapies, mental health disorders associated with IBD, medication availability, endoscopy access, rural barriers to care, Indigenous IBD care, and pediatric issues. The aim is to identify areas for improvement in IBD care and address research needs in Australasia.