Congratulations to GRITT-IBD, the Mount Sinai Team Science Award winners for 2019.
Here is a summary of their winning submission:
Inherent in the mission and practice of the IBD Center is a prioritization of interdisciplinary
collaboration in service of optimal patient care. Through the GRITT-IBD™ program (Gaining
Resilience Through Transitions for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases), co-led by Dr. Laurie
Keefer and Dr. Marla Dubinsky, our practitioners work collaboratively across various disciplines from
gastroenterology/medicine, nursing, clinical pharmacy, nutrition, social work, child life, population
health, and behavioral/psychological health1,2, to provide the best patient care using a team-based,
patient-centered approach.3,4 Specifically, the interdisciplinary team meets weekly, with an average of
9 practitioners per week, to discuss highly complex IBD patients referred from gastroenterologists or
colorectal surgeons. Patients are screened with a GRITT Score, a validated, clinician-administered,
EHR-integrated tool that quantifies, on a 100-point scale, individual’s personal strengths (high
GRITT) vs. complexity. Patients receiving a GRITT score </= 70 who are receptive to high-touch
care are enrolled in the program, which involves access to a personalized patient-care plan known as
the GRITT Playbook, specific evidence-based GRITT Treatment Targets, GRITT Team-based care
delivery, including both in-person and telemedicine remote care visits, as well as access to a variety of
ongoing research studies, which are elaborated on below. Currently, the GRITT-IBD™ program
touches 100-300 patients per year of the ~7,000 unique patients at the IBD Center annually.
Embedded in the GRITT-IBD™ program are various research projects aimed at optimizing the health,
resilience, and function of patients with IBD, the well-being of clinicians who treat these patients, as
well as optimizing the quality of the physician-patient and caregiver-patient relationship. Each of the
active studies as well as the general practice paradigm of the GRITT-IBD™ program represents a
novel treatment approach in gastroenterology, placing proactive psychological assessment and
intervention at the forefront of patient care.
