Virtual Care of Acute Diverticulitis: A Phase I/II Randomised Clinical Feasibility Trial.

Randomized trialANZ journal of surgery· Jun 2026

Virtual Care of Acute Diverticulitis: A Phase I/II Randomised Clinical Feasibility Trial.

Phillip F Yang, Philip Hay, Owen R Hutchings … Kheng-Seong Ng

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Colon & Rectal SurgeryRandomized trialClinical practiceQ2IF 1.0

Virtual care pathway kept 93% of diverticulitis patients out of hospital.

Virtual Care of Acute Diverticulitis: A Phase I/II Randomised Clinical Feasibility Trial.

Phillip F Yang … Kheng-Seong Ng

ANZ journal of surgery · Jun 2026 · Q2 in Surgery

Background

Acute uncomplicated diverticulitis is commonly managed in hospital in Australia.

Purpose

This study evaluated the feasibility, safety and acceptability of a virtual care pathway for acute diverticulitis (iCAD).

Methods

This Phase I/II trial comprised a single-centre pilot of patients managed via the iCAD pathway, followed by a multicentre randomised trial comparing iCAD with conventional inpatient care.

n = 40 patients

Results

virtual monitoring kept nearly all patients safely out of the hospital

88%

iCAD (excellent)

40%

Inpatient (excellent)

More results

In Phase I, 10 participants were treated on the iCAD pathway with no withdrawals, crossovers or major complications.

Two iCAD patients crossed over to inpatient care for clinical reasons.

“

Conclusion

Virtual care for acute uncomplicated diverticulitis appears feasible, safe and acceptable, with potential advantages over inpatient care, including superior patient-reported experience.

Virtual Care of Acute Diverticulitis: A Phase I/II Randomised Clinical Feasibility Trial.

Virtual Care of Acute Diverticulitis: A Phase I/II Randomised Clinical Feasibility Trial.

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