What is the current burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in primary care and cost effectiveness of referral to secondary care?

肠易激综合征（IBS）包括排便习惯改变、疼痛和腹胀，导致痛苦和降低生活质量。它随时影响多达20%的人口，其中约25%的人寻求医疗建议。尽管这种情况影响了大量的人，对他们的生活产生了重大影响，但人们对个体特征和预后的了解相对较少。对于管理肠易激综合症的卫生服务的财务成本，以及转诊对个人和卫生服务的作用和影响，人们了解得更少。本研究将评估肠易激综合征患者的特征和预后。将开发一个模型来分析肠易激综合症的经济影响，并评估转介给顾问的影响和成本效益。调查、治疗、住院和临床医生时间的财务成本将使用英国一般实践记录数据库进行调查，而患者问卷将量化工作效率和生活质量的损失，以及转诊到医院如何改变这一点。建立一个准确的肠易激综合征经济模型将有助于评估许多干预措施的成本效益，提供一种机制来减少浪费做法，并允许更有效地利用资源。

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) involves altered bowel habit, pain and bloating that causes distress and reduces quality of life. It affects up to 20% of the population at any time, with approximately 25% seeking medical advice. Despite this condition affecting large numbers of people with significant impact on their lives, relatively little is known about characteristics of individuals and their prognosis. Even less is understood about financial cost to the health service of managing IBS and the role and impact to both the individual and the health service of referral to a consultant. This study will assess characteristics and prognosis for individuals with IBS. A model will be developed to analyse the economic impact of IBS and assess impact and cost effectiveness of referral to a consultant. Financial costs of investigations, treatment, hospital admissions and clinician time will be investigated using a database of records from UK general practices, whilst patient questionnaires will quantify loss of work productivity and quality of life and how referral to hospital alters this.Developing an accurate economic model of IBS will allow cost effectiveness of many interventions to be assessed, providing a mechanism to reduce wasteful practice and allow more efficient use of resources.