Primary care physicians use a range of approaches to manage irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in primary care, reports a systematic review co-authored by the Rome Foundation and researchers from Oxford PharmaGenesis. The article, which appeared online in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics this month, shows that primary care physicians are often comfortable diagnosing and managing IBS without specialist diagnostic tests or referral to a gastroenterologist. The research is part of a fruitful collaboration between Oxford PharmaGenesis and the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University, UK that has seen several members of Oxford PharmaGenesis gain honorary positions at this leading university. Anja Becher, Michael Molloy-Bland and Chris Winchester are very grateful to Professor Pali Hungin (Chair of the ROME Primary Care Committee and Dean of Medicine at Durham) for many interesting opportunities to work together.
Further reading
Hungin AP, Molloy-Bland M, Claes R, Heidelbaugh J, Cayley WE Jr, Muris J, Seifert B, Rubin G, de Wit N. Systematic review: the perceptions, diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome in primary care – A Rome Foundation Working Team Report. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2014 Sep 17; doi:10.1111/apt.12957.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/apt.12957
