How Well do Primary Care Doctors in Region Örebro County, Sweden Follow Diagnostic Guidelines of IBS?

Overview

The aim of this project is to investigate the implementation of the Rome criteria in daily primary care clinical practice and adherence of general practitioners (GPs) to recommended diagnostic approaches for IBS.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. To diagnose IBS, the so-called Rome Criteria combined with limited laboratory tests should be used. However, within the primary care, too much unnecessary diagnostics, for example radiology and endoscopy, are used. This is meaningless, stressful for the patient and they also cost a lot of money. In Örebro Region there are 29 public general health centers. Approximately 300.000 inhabitants are listed within these health centers. Approximately 150 doctors are currently working within the primary health care of Örebro Region. The software program Medrave and the electronic patient register in Örebro Region allows to search for the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for IBS (K58.9 and K58.0) This allows retrospective research regarding diagnosing IBS, the used diagnostic tools, comorbidities, as well as the different treatments that were used. Patients diagnosed with IBS will be identified by ICD-code K.58. By evaluating their patient register it will be determined how the GP has made the IBS diagnosis. Patients will fall into three categories: those who received a positive IBS diagnosis using the Rome criteria, those who received a negative IBS diagnosis and those whose patient record is lacking sufficient information. Data will also include demographics, number of GP contacts and referrals to specialists, diagnostic procedures, treatments, and relevant somatic, psychological and psychiatric comorbidities. Data regarding substance abuse will be collected as well.

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