Effect of continuity of patient care on quality of life and psychological state in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of continuity of patient care on quality of life, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in inflammatory bowel disease.

METHODS

Five databases were systematically searched for relevant studies from inception to March 20, 2026. The primary outcome measure included quality of life, anxiety, and depression state. The tools of Cochrane's risk-of-bias were used to assess bias risks. Then, the fixed effect or the random effect model was applied in the meta-analysis. Continuity variables were expressed as standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI), while dichotomous variables were presented as relative risk (RR) and its 95% CI. Finally, sensitivity and publication bias were performed.

RESULTS

Twelve randomized controlled trials involving 1,246 participants were included. Continuity of patient care significantly improved quality of life (including inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire and 36-item Short Form Health Status Survey), as well as the anxiety (SMD = -1.98, 95% CI [-2.40 to -1.55], p < 0.00001) and depression (SMD = -1.82, 95% CI [-2.67 to -0.98], p < 0.0001) levels of IBD patients. They did not significantly reduce the recurrence rate (SMD = 0.94, 95% CI [0.53-1.67], p = 0.83) and nursing satisfaction (SMD = 1.19, 95% CI [0.97-1.45], p = 0.10).

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis revealed that continuity of patient care might improve the quality of life and anxiety and depression levels of patients with inflammatory bowel disease but not the recurrence rate. This meta-analysis provides novel insights into continuity of patient care in the field of IBD. Healthcare workers should practice continuity in patient care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease to improve the quality of life and anxiety and depression. Due to extremely high heterogeneity, we lowered the evidence to a moderate quality level.