Inflammatory bowel diseases and the general practitioner’s role in a region of Central Italy

Figures & data

Table 1 GP questionnaire

Have you ever treated or are you presently treating patients with IBD? Yes/No How often do you examine your IBD patients (not just prescribing medicine)? Every month, every three months, every six months, or once a year. How often do you order laboratory tests for your IBD patients? Every month, every three months, every six months, or once a year. Do you use the fecal calprotectin test (available at our laboratory) for the diagnosis or follow-up of your IBD patients? Always, almost always, in about half of my patients, rarely. Do you prescribe probiotics for your UC patients? Always, almost always, in about half of my patients, rarely. Do you prescribe antibiotics for your CD patients? Always, almost always, in about half of my patients, rarely. If your IBD patient relapses, do you involve the specialist? Always, almost always, in about half of my patients, rarely. If you decide to change your IBD patient’s treatment, do you seek advice from a specialist first? Always, almost always, in about half of my patients, rarely. Do you recommend that your female IBD patients of child-bearing age avoid becoming pregnant? Yes/No Apart from patients requiring followup for carcinoma, how often do you carry out endoscopic examinations? Once a year, once every two years, on disease relapse, rarely.

Table 2 Results of GP questionnaire

	Always	In about 50% of cases	Rarely
Calprotectin analysis	19%	7%	74%
Use of probiotics in UC	37%	41%	22%
Use of antibiotics in CD	15%	41%	44%
Follow-up by specialist in relapsed patients	85%	15%	0%
Change of treatment with specialist’s advice	85%	15%	0%

Abbreviations: UC, ulcerative colitis; CD, Crohn’s disease.

Table 3 Results of satisfaction questionnaire

Questions	Mean ± SD
How much did the educational course influence your knowledge of IBD?	4.2 ± 0.8
How much will the course affect your clinical practice?	3.9 ± 0.9
How interesting did the teachers succeed in making the topics covered?	4.0 ± 0.9

Notes: Satisfaction range: 0–5.