TY - JOUR
T1 - Physicians' attitudes and practices in the evaluation and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
AU - Lacy, Brian
AU - Rosemore, Justin
AU - Robertson, Douglas
AU - Corbin, David
AU - Grau, Maria
AU - Crowell, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Drs. Douglas Drossman and Michael Camilleri for their guidance and suggestions regarding the editing of this manuscript. Some of the results of this study were presented in preliminary form at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in October 2004. The study was funded in part by an unrestricted educational grant to BEL from Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The funding company played no part in designing the study, collecting or analyzing the data, writing or editing the manuscript. None of the authors has any financial interest in this research study.
Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2006/8/1
Y1 - 2006/8/1
N2 - Objective. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by abdominal discomfort and disordered bowel habits. Despite the high prevalence of IBS, little is known about how physicians perceive this condition. The aims of our study were to measure physicians' understanding of IBS, to assess their attitudes towards patients with IBS, and to determine whether there are differences in the way Internal Medicine physicians (IM), Family Practice physicians (FP), and Gastroenterology physicians (GI) evaluate and treat IBS patients. Material and methods. A survey was sent to 3000 physicians nationwide, 1000 each to IM, FP, and GI. The survey contained 35 questions assessing demographics, the etiology and pathophysiology of IBS, the use of diagnostic tests, and practice patterns and attitudes. Results. Of the deliverable questionnaires, 501 were returned completed; 472 of the respondents interviewed only adult patients, representing the cohort for this analysis. The mean age of all respondents was 47; most were men (80%). IM and FP made a new diagnosis of IBS 1.3-1.6 times each week, while GI made a new diagnosis 5.4 times each week (p < 0.0001). Compared with the perceptions of FP and IM, GI felt that IBS patients were less sick than other patients (p <0.001), although they required more time per visit. More GI compared with FP and IM stated that prior infection and a history of abuse were the causes of IBS (p <0.01), while FP were more likely to believe that diet was a cause of IBS (p <0.01). GI felt a new diagnosis of IBS could be made without further testing 42% of the time. FP and IM felt that one-third of IBS patients needed referral to a GI. Conclusions. The attitudes and practice patterns of physicians towards patients with IBS differ depending on practice specialty. This may be due to differences in training, the ability to perform specialized tests, and/or differences in referral patterns. Further training may improve the ability of physicians in all specialties confidently to diagnose and treat patients with IBS.
AB - Objective. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by abdominal discomfort and disordered bowel habits. Despite the high prevalence of IBS, little is known about how physicians perceive this condition. The aims of our study were to measure physicians' understanding of IBS, to assess their attitudes towards patients with IBS, and to determine whether there are differences in the way Internal Medicine physicians (IM), Family Practice physicians (FP), and Gastroenterology physicians (GI) evaluate and treat IBS patients. Material and methods. A survey was sent to 3000 physicians nationwide, 1000 each to IM, FP, and GI. The survey contained 35 questions assessing demographics, the etiology and pathophysiology of IBS, the use of diagnostic tests, and practice patterns and attitudes. Results. Of the deliverable questionnaires, 501 were returned completed; 472 of the respondents interviewed only adult patients, representing the cohort for this analysis. The mean age of all respondents was 47; most were men (80%). IM and FP made a new diagnosis of IBS 1.3-1.6 times each week, while GI made a new diagnosis 5.4 times each week (p < 0.0001). Compared with the perceptions of FP and IM, GI felt that IBS patients were less sick than other patients (p <0.001), although they required more time per visit. More GI compared with FP and IM stated that prior infection and a history of abuse were the causes of IBS (p <0.01), while FP were more likely to believe that diet was a cause of IBS (p <0.01). GI felt a new diagnosis of IBS could be made without further testing 42% of the time. FP and IM felt that one-third of IBS patients needed referral to a GI. Conclusions. The attitudes and practice patterns of physicians towards patients with IBS differ depending on practice specialty. This may be due to differences in training, the ability to perform specialized tests, and/or differences in referral patterns. Further training may improve the ability of physicians in all specialties confidently to diagnose and treat patients with IBS.
KW - Abdominal pain
KW - Constipation
KW - Diarrhea
KW - Functional gastrointestinal disorders
KW - Irritable bowel syndrome
KW - Physicians attitudes
KW - Practice patterns
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U2 - 10.1080/00365520600554451
DO - 10.1080/00365520600554451
M3 - Article
C2 - 16803687
AN - SCOPUS:33745684520
SN - 0036-5521
VL - 41
SP - 892
EP - 902
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
IS - 8
ER -