title: Perceptions of gastroenterologists and patients regarding irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare perceptions of patients and gastroenterologists regarding irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised was sent to 150 randomly selected hospital-based and community-based gastroenterologists nationwide. Participants were instructed to refer their responses to either IBS or IBD. Patients were recruited during a regular visit to the Gastroenterology Department of a tertiary medical center and completed the same questionnaire. Findings were analyzed according to illness and group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires were returned by 55 physicians (29 referred to IBS, 26 to IBD) and 58 patients. Physicians and patients stated that IBD has more severe consequences and benefits more from medical treatment (P<0.05), and that patient coherence is higher for IBD than IBS (P<0.05). Physicians stated that psychological attributes and accidents/injuries play a greater causative role in IBS than in IBD (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Conversely, patients found no such difference. More patients than physicians attributed both illnesses to risk factors (P=0.07). Both groups believed that the immune system is a more important causative factor in IBD than IBS (P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The different views of gastroenterologists and patients in terms of the involvement of psychological attributes, risk factors, and accidents/injuries in IBD and IBS could affect the patient-health provider relationship and adversely impact treatment outcome.
authors.affiliation: aThe Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo bSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv cDepartment of Medical Psychology dInstitute of Nuclear Medicine eDivision of Gastroenterology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel.
authors.forename: Sigal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segev
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reicher-Atir
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Steinmetz
authors.forename: Nechama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Horev
authors.forename: Yaron
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niv
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dickman
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D005762:Gastroenterology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires