A Decade of Impact
Across Canada, PACE has delivered meaningful change by:
Improving Rural and Remote Care
PACE has strengthened access to specialized IBD care by expanding telemedicine and/or virtual care services for Canadians living in rural and remote communities. Before PACE, accessing this kind of care was nearly impossible for patients outside of major urban centres. Through coordinated national efforts, including the Canadian Network of Virtual Access to Specialists-IBD (CaNVAS-IBD) pilot program, more patients can now receive timely, expert support no matter where they live.
Telemedicine is Changing Lives
For patients across Canada, access to telemedicine and/or virtual care services has been life changing.
“The telemedicine program has been very convenient for me as I live far out of town. I’ve saved travel time and money and haven’t needed to rearrange my work schedule for doctors’ visits. Communicating with my telemedicine nurse has made managing my disease so much easier and has taken away the stress of not knowing if my flare-ups can be quickly helped by a professional.”
- Patient from Quebec
Standardizing Care
By developing pathways, PACE helps ensure every patient across Canada receives high-quality and standardized care through evidence-informed decision making. The IBD Clinical Care Pathways outline clear and consistent steps for healthcare professionals to follow when determining treatment options, monitoring for complications or side effects, planning for surgery, or adjusting care as a person’s needs evolve throughout their journey.
By the Numbers
Since its inception, IBD Clinical Care Pathways have been used by healthcare professionals thousands of times. In 2025 alone, these pathways were accessed over 4,000 times, enabling hundreds of nurses, general practitioners, and other healthcare professionals to provide more specialized and accurate care.
Advancing Digital Health
PACE has helped accelerate the development and adoption of digital health tools that make IBD care more efficient, connected, and patient centred. Evolving from a pilot program into a fully developed app, tools like MyGut™ support remote disease monitoring, virtual care, and streamlined communication between patients and their healthcare providers to address needs faster.
By the Numbers
Since MyGut’s launch in 2019, over 15,000 patients have utilized the app, with 2,400 new sign-ups in 2025 alone. With new and improved features, users can keep track of their symptoms, log hospital visits, and access their health history all in one spot. The integrated Provider Portal also ensures patients can connect directly with their healthcare providers, allowing for digital remote monitoring between appointments.
Enhancing Support Programs
Moving from pediatric to adult IBD care can be a challenging and vulnerable time for young adults living with Crohn’s or colitis as they face navigating the healthcare system without a parent or guardian. Recognizing this gap in care, PACE has worked to develop a support program for youth and young adults that includes access to a transition navigator, an e-learning and skill-building program, and individualized assessments.
Looking Ahead
Today, the next phase of the youth transition pilot program is already taking shape. Plans include a full revamp of the existing e-learning program, expanding on interactive content, and developing a web-based app to better support participants as they move through the program.
Comprehensive Disease Management
Because IBD affects more than just the digestive system, PACE has worked to ensure healthcare providers incorporate mental health, diet, and nutritional care into their approach. The goal? To support the whole patient, not just the condition.
The Bigger Picture
Preliminary results from this research project have found that patients are benefiting from improved access to mental health and nutritional support, choosing to use these services when made available. Early findings even point to meaningful improvements in patients’ feelings of anxiety, depression and stress.
Improving Healthcare Delivery
Through collaborative research and continuous evaluation, PACE aims to identify gaps in care and implement solutions that improve health outcomes across the country. This data‑driven approach ensures that innovations translate directly into everyday clinical practice.
From Research to Practice
PACE researchers identified and published 45 evidence‑based quality indicators that define what high‑quality IBD care should look like. These indicators became the foundation for the IBD Global Rating Scale (IBD-GRS), a web‑based self‑assessment tool developed in partnership with the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. Today, the IBD-GRS is used annually by clinics and healthcare providers to evaluate and grade their quality of care.
Read more about PACE and the meaningful impact it continues to make.