P2186 - Clinician Perspectives on Challenges and Resource Gaps in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Qualitative Analysis

Joy Chang, MD, MS¹, Kerry Ryan, MA², Kelcie Brophy, BS³, Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, MSCI⁴, Evan S.. Dellon, MD, MPH, FACG⁵, Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH¹, Raymond De Vries, PhD^2
1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; ²Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI; ³Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Cincinnati, OH; ⁴Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; ⁵University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC

Introduction: Despite growing awareness, clinical guidelines, and expanding therapeutic options for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), managing EoE presents challenges for clinicians. This qualitative analysis examines the informational and communication challenges faced by clinicians, offering new, much-needed knowledge about how to best care for patients with EoE.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with gastroenterologists (n=9) and allergists (n=7) from diverse academic and community practice settings across the state of Michigan. Participants were purposefully recruited via professional networks and snowball sampling to include those who care for varied populations of EoE patients. The interview guide was developed and iteratively refined by experts in EoE and qualitative research methods. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using both emergent and a priori codes.

Results: A total of 16 clinicians were interviewed (45.8 mean age, SD 9.1, 50% female, 62.5% White) and described informational challenges and resource gaps in four domains: 1) Clinician uncertainty around the changing landscape of EoE research, treatments, increasing prevalence, and best practices for long-term care; 2) Patient knowledge gaps – EoE is an unfamiliar disease to the lay public, and patients often lack knowledge or have misconceptions about EoE and its treatments, 3) Outside sources of education - Clinicians held varied perspectives on the value of outside resources (e.g. Google, social media) in promoting patient understanding, but all had concerns about the accuracy, and 4) Resources needed – Clinicians desired resources to support communication and patient understanding, including educational pamphlets that address informational gaps and support decision-making (Table 1).

Discussion: As our understanding of EoE and its treatment evolve, clinicians are faced with uncertainties about the causes of the growing prevalence of the disease and strategies for its management. Our analysis revealed a pressing need for informational resources designed to improve both patients' and clinicians’ understanding and communication about EoE, tools to empower patients to participate more actively in their care and facilitate management and treatment decisions. This low-burden, actionable next step has the potential to improve patient outcomes and adherence to therapies.


Disclosures:


Joy Chang, MD, MS¹, Kerry Ryan, MA², Kelcie Brophy, BS³, Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, MSCI⁴, Evan S.. Dellon, MD, MPH, FACG⁵, Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH¹, Raymond De Vries, PhD². P2186 - Clinician Perspectives on Challenges and Resource Gaps in Eosinophilic Esophagitis: A Qualitative Analysis, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.