Evaluation of economic aspects of diagnostic procedures in irritable bowel syndrome
Szymański, Z.; Depczyńska, A.; Jaroszewicz-Heigelmann, H.; Wierzbicka-Paczos, E.
Wiadomosci Lekarskie 40(3): 163-166
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0043-5147 PMID: 3617733 Document Number: 295573
A group of 20 patients (15 women and 5 men aged 18 to 76 years) out of those referred in 1984 to the Department or Outpatient Clinic of Gastrology were analyzed for establishing the cause of abdominal pains and disturbances of the rhythm of bowel movements in whom the irritable bowel syndrome was diagnosed. The analysis prior to establishing of the diagnosis, including laboratory investigations, has shown repetition of identical investigations during several years or even in one year, which exposed the patients to X-rays and increased unnecessarily the costs. A considerable part of these patients had been hospitalized many times, and some had even several operations without improvement in symptoms. The analysis demonstrated that diagnostic management in irritable bowel syndrome is often unduly extended or unnecessarily repeated leading to considerable and unjustified costs.