Utilization of Dietitians in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Members of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify benefits and barriers to using a gastroenterology (GI) dietitian for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) care. A 25-question survey was electronically distributed to the members of the American College of Gastroenterology. Information pertaining to demographics, barriers, and values to using a GI dietitian for IBS patient care was collected. Two hundred seventy-nine survey responses were collected. Although 56% of the GI providers feel they are trained to provide nutrition education, almost half (46%) sometimes, rarely, or never provided information to aid menu planning, label reading, or grocery shopping, and 77% spent ≤10 minutes for nutrition counseling. Of those with access to a local dietitian, 91% strongly agreed or agreed that having access to a GI dietitian would help them manage their IBS patient care more effectively, but 42% lack access to a local GI dietitian. Our survey identified gaps in nutrition-based interventions for IBS care.