Background and objective:
The quality of care and information for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Australia is inconsistent, often sub-optimal, and does not meet the prevailing Australian IBD Standards. Crohn’s and Colitis Australia (CCA), using the Ophelia (Optimising Health Literacy and Access) process, aims to co-design improvements to the delivery of information, services and resources with and for people with IBD and their carers.

Methods:
Vignettes were developed from interviews (n=17) and cluster analysis outcomes of health literacy data from surveys (n=868). Using the vignettes in participatory co-design (online workshops and an online activity) with consumers (n=38) and health professionals (n=38), the Ophelia process facilitated the generation of ideas to improve access to IBD information and services. These ideas were collated and coded into specific activities then prioritised for implementation.

Results:
Ideas generation with consumers and health professionals led to 883 ideas that were collated and coded (removing duplicates and grouping similar ideas) to 70 ideas. Of these, 29 were deemed within the scope of this CCA project, with 11 ideas already part of daily CCA business and 30 ideas allocated to other CCA projects or to future projects. Grouping of the 29 ideas into prioritised activities for implementation resulted in 13 activities in 3 categories: 1) National leadership (n=2 activities); 2) Improvement of services and access (n=1 activity); and 3) Improvement of information, tools, and processes for consumers (n=10 activities).

Conclusion:
The ideas for improvement were derived from data generated by the intended recipients of the project activities and were grouped and prioritised for implementation by CCA. The program of work will forge pathways for health literacy development for CCA, its members, and the wider IBD community.