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Managing irritable bowel syndrome

Diagnosis

Questions to ask patients

IBS and its symptoms

Dietary advice

Other interventions

OTC drug treatments

Prescribed treatments

Useful resources 

Assessment questions

module menu icon Questions to ask patients

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module menu icon Questions to ask patients

  • Find out whether the patient has consulted their doctor about the symptoms and, if so, what they were told. There will be some patients who have had a lot of investigations in the past
  • The patient may already have tried prescribed or OTC medicines to treat the condition. You need to know what has been tried and whether it produced any improvement
  • Foreign travel and associated gastroenteritis sometimes appear to trigger symptoms of an irritable bowel so a history of this should be sought. Referral may be necessary to exclude an unresolved infection
  • Ask about the impact of symptoms on daily functioning, such as home, work and leisure activities
  • Stress appears to play a key role in IBS and can precipitate and exacerbate symptoms. Therefore, enquiring sympathetically about recent problems or life events might provide some useful insights.

    • Managing irritable bowel syndrome

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