Irritable bowel syndrome is a complex functional bowel disorder. It can be difficult to treat because of its presentation with multiple symptoms and aggravating factors. GPs and gastroenterologists regularly see patients return for advice on symptom management. Irritable bowel syndrome is often misdiagnosed, and is not always managed effectively, despite the guidance available to clinicians. This article aims to inform readers about the symptoms and sub-classifications of irritable bowel syndrome and the range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments available, to enable nurses to understand and manage symptoms of the condition in this group of patients.
Nursing Standard. 31, 26, 52-63. doi: 10.7748/ns.2017.e10654
Correspondence Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interestNone declared
Received: 05 August 2016
Accepted: 13 October 2016
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