The development and feasibility/acceptability testing of an online mind-body wellness program for primary biliary cirrhosis

Persons with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have high rates of liver disease-related symptoms and poor health-related quality of life – amongst the lowest of all chronic liver diseases. Patients and the Canadian PBC Society have identified the need for self-care tools to manage symptom burden. Building upon a previously developed online wellness program for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Makayla Watt’s project entails: Aim 1 developing a PBC-specific 10-week online mind-body wellness program incorporating pre-developed programming from the Canadian PBC Society, the IBD program, and additional evidence-based relaxation elements; and, Aim 2 the assessment of the online program’s viability and patient acceptance using a mixed methods feasibility study in 20-30 patients with PBC.

Faculty Supervisor:

Puneeta Tandon

Student:

Makayla Watt

Partner:

Canadian PBC Society

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of Alberta