%0 Journal Article
%T General practitioners believe that hypnotherapy could be a useful treatment for irritable bowel syndrome in primary care
%A Stephen Cox
%A Simon de Lusignan
%A Tom Chan
%J BMC Family Practice
%D 2004
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2296-5-22
%X 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 management38% 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. Over 70% thought that hypnotherapy may have a role in the management of patients with IBS; though the majority (68%) felt that this should not be offered by general practitioners. 84% felt that this should be offered by qualified hypnotherapist, with 40% feeling that this should be offered outside the health service.General practitioners vary in their perceptions of what constitutes effective therapy in IBS. They are willing to consider referral to a qualified hypnotherapist.This study explores general practitioners' beliefs about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and whether they see hypnotherapy as an appropriate complementary therapy for its management; and if so, who should deliver it.IBS is estimated to occur in 10¨C20% of the population in most countries [1]. It is known that less than half of subjects seek medical help for their complaints [2] but it is a common cause for referral to secondary care (referral is advised in patients over 50 years old with changing symptoms) [1].Over a period of time of between 2 and 5 years, it is thought that there is a 30% turnover of patients having IBS [3]. It therefore uses significant primary care resources over many years.IBS is typical of many conditions seen in general practice. There is a risk that some of its symptoms may actually represent serious underlying illness and there are a number of conventional medical interventions, but for many patients the i
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/5/22