MyChart in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease. (MyIBD)

This study will be a single site randomized control trial.

Patients will be randomized into a control arm and intervention arm. At baseline the investigators will obtain demographic data, quality of life measures, and satisfaction with MyChart for those patients who are alrealy active portal users. The control arm will receive periodic messages through MyChart that are not specific to IBD. The intervention arm will receive more specific disease related information such as IBD educational information, reminders to take their medications, and reminders to get vaccinated. The intervention arm will also receive questionnaires that assess their mood (depression and anxiety). The investigators will then inform the primary gastroenterologist for those patients in whom mild, moderate or severe depression and anxiety is identified. At the end the study, in both groups investigators will measure quality of life as measured by the Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ), a validated questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. Secondary outcomes will include: Satisfaction with Mychart as measured by a MyChart satisfaction survey, time to referral to mental health provider for patients identified with mild, moderate, or severe depression, or anxiety (PROMIS Depression and Anxiety Questionnaires), and Vaccine uptake (using a simple yes/no questionnaire asking patients if they received Flu, PCV13 or PPSV23.

The findings of this study will allow future clinicians to better understand how a patient portal can be utilized as a tool for the management of patients with IBD. This findings may lead to increased physician and patient engagement with the MyChart patient portal.