Information- and Health-care Seeking Behaviors in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and clinically heterogeneous gastrointestinal disorder that can be divided into 4 subtypes: IBS with constipation (IBS-C), IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D), IBS with mixed bowel habits, and unclassified IBS. IBS decreases quality of life1 and imposes a substantial economic burden on the healthcare system.2 To develop efficient approaches to address the individual needs of IBS patients while minimizing healthcare resource overutilization, it is important to identify the factors that drive patients to seek care, to clarify the burden associated with distinct IBS subtypes, and to be aware of the resources from which IBS patients seek health-related information. We aimed to compare healthcare and information seeking between individuals with IBS-C and IBS-D.

Methods Study Cohort Adults aged 18–100 years were recruited from a national sample to participate in an online consumer survey study between September 14, 2015 and October 21, 2015 to assess healthcare and information seeking. Details of the study design are described elsewhere.3

Statistical Analysis Associations of healthcare and information seeking with IBS subtype were examined by using multivariate logistic regression, negative binomial regression, and the proportional odds model where appropriate adjusting for relevant covariates (age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status, and IBS diagnosed by a doctor).

Results Healthcare Seeking in Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea Among 3254 participants, 82% (N = 2674) reported speaking to at least 1 healthcare professional about their symptoms. Women with IBS-D were associated with a decreased odds ratio of seeking care from an obstetrician/gynecologist or a pharmacist than women with IBS-C. Among those who saw at least 1 healthcare professional (N = 2674), there were no significant differences in the number of healthcare professionals ever spoken to. However, IBS-D was associated with a decreased number (8% less) of healthcare professionals spoken to in the past 12 months compared with IBS-C. Comparisons of reasons for which participants waited to seek care revealed that IBS-C participants (16.3%) reported that other health conditions took priority more frequently than IBS-D participants (8.0%). Results are summarized in Table 1.