A new survey published in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility found gastroenterologists think directing IBS patients to dietitians is just as or more effective than IBS medications, but few refer their patients to them.
The survey included input from 1,562 GIs about their patients’ views on dietary therapy, as well as their perceptions on dietary therapy and nutritional counseling for IBS.
Here are some other key findings:
1. Only 21 percent of GIs routinely referred their patients to a registered dietician, and only 30 percent use GI dieticians.
2. Sixty percent of GIs said their patients usually describe an association between consuming food and the development of GI symptoms 45.6 percent of the time.
3. Three-quarters of providers said they recommend diet therapies for at least half of their IBS patients.
4. Eighty-five percent of providers said a low fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diet was a “very effective” dietary therapy for IBS patients.
5. In terms of the barriers to providing effective dietary therapy, 39.1 percent of GIs said it was too complex, and 24.1 percent said insurance coverage for dietician visits was an issue.
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