General practitioners believe that hypnotherapy could be a useful treatment for irritable bowel syndrome in primary care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common condition in general practice. It occurs in 10 to 20% of the population, but less than half seek medical assistance with the complaint.

Methods

A questionnaire was sent to the 406 GPs listed on the West Sussex Health Authority Medical List to investigate their views of this condition and whether they felt hypnotherapy had a place in its management

Results

38% of general practitioners responded. The achieved sample shared the characteristics of target sample. Nearly half thought that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was a "nervous complaint" and used a combination of "the placebo effect of personal care," therapeutic, and dietary advice. There is considerable divergence in the perceived effectiveness of current approaches.

SUBMITTER: Cox S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC526280 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature