Healthcare systems everywhere are under pressure, and IBD care is no exception. Rising patient volumes, limited resources, and delayed diagnostics make it difficult for clinicians to stay ahead of a fluctuating disease.

The problem with today’s follow-up

Most IBD care is still built around scheduled appointments and delayed results.

• Faecal calprotectin results can take up to five days to come back
• Endoscopy waiting times can reach two weeks
• Routine appointments are spaced far apart, regardless of how a patient is doing

“These delays can impact timely intervention,” says Lewis. Without fast, objective data, clinicians are left deciding with uncertainty, or waiting. In both cases, patients risk disease progression.

Why timing changes everything

In IBD management, timing is not a detail, it is the difference between early treatment and a hospital admission.

“Timely access to calprotectin results is very important. Delayed results can limit confidence in early decision-making and risk progression of disease activity,” Lewis explains.

Bringing testing home

With CalproSmart, patients measure calprotectin at home and share quantitative results directly with their clinical team, without a clinic visit.

• Instant insight: no more waiting days for lab results
• Earlier intervention: clinicians can act before symptoms escalate
• Seamless integration: results flow into patient portals for remote monitoring
• Better adherence: testing at home is more convenient than lab-based sample drop-off

“Immediate or rapid results enable earlier identification of flares and faster clinical decision-making,” says Lewis.

Freeing up clinical capacity

Capacity is one of the biggest challenges in the NHS today. Home testing helps ensure the right patients are seen at the right time.

“Routine appointments can be postponed for patients with reassuring results, allowing prioritisation of those who need care,” Lewis notes.

Earlier flare detection → Faster triage → Fewer unnecessary appointments → More time for complex cases.

Patients taking control

When patients get access to real-time data, they become active participants in their own care.

“Patients engage more actively. They feel more involved, more confident, and better able to act when needed,” says Lewis. “Home testing provides reassurance and helps patients identify early signs of flares before symptoms worsen.”

The bottom line

Home-based calprotectin testing does not just improve individual follow-up, it reshapes the entire IBD care pathway: earlier detection, better prioritisation, and patients who feel more in control of a condition that is otherwise invisible between visits.

“Digital monitoring tools have the potential to transform IBD nursing within the NHS by enabling more proactive, data-driven care,” Lewis concludes.