Perceived Emotional and Psychological Impact of Ulcerative Colitis on Outpatients in Spain: UC-LIFE Survey.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) negatively impacts patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL).



The UC-LIFE survey aimed to evaluate the perceived everyday and emotional impact of UC on patients attending outpatient clinics in Spain and explored patient-physician communication.



Gastroenterologists handed the survey to consecutive unselected UC patients aged ≥18 years. Patients described their perception on the burden of symptoms and disease severity, social and emotional impact of UC on everyday life, disease knowledge and sources of information about the disease, and patient-physician communication.



A total of 585 patients received the survey, and 436 returned it (74.5% response rate; mean age 46 years, 53% men). Most patients perceived that UC prevented them from leading a normal life (79.3%) and impaired sleep quality (76.1%). Most patients described an emotional impact due to UC, mainly feelings of depression and anxiety, and some 38% perceived that UC decreased their self-confidence. Despite most patients believing that their physician listened/asked about UC symptoms, many perceived that emotional/psychological support was lacking.



Findings support the need for a more patient-centered approach to the care of UC patients, to include psychological, emotional, and social aspects. Improved patient-physician communication would be beneficial and may contribute to better HRQoL in UC patients.
Head Gastroenterology Division, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
Antonio
A
López-Sanromán
Gastroenterology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Pontevedra, Instituto de Investigación Biomedica (IBI), SERGAS, Pontevedra, Spain.
Daniel
D
Carpio
Departament de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|Unitat de Malalties Digestives, Corporació Sanitaria Universitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Spain.|Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de enfermedades hepáticas y digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid, Spain.
Xavier
X
Calvet
Medical Affairs Department, Merck Sharp & Dohme Spain, Josefa Valcárcel 38, 28027, Madrid, Spain. cristina.rdesantos@merck.com.
Cristina
C
Romero
Medical Affairs Department, Merck Sharp & Dohme Spain, Josefa Valcárcel 38, 28027, Madrid, Spain.
Luis
L
Cea-Calvo
Medical Affairs Department, Merck Sharp & Dohme Spain, Josefa Valcárcel 38, 28027, Madrid, Spain.
Berta
B
Juliá
UGC Digestivo Intercentros, Hospitales Virgen Macarena-Rocío, Seville, Spain.
Federico
F
Argüelles-Arias
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005762:Gastroenterology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Disease burden; Emotional; Perception; Psychological; Quality of life; Ulcerative colitis