The global impact of IBS: time to think about IBS-specific models of care?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder that can significantly erode the quality of life (QoL) of sufferers and places a major cost burden on healthcare services. This paper reviews the literature on the impact of IBS on healthcare services and society, including a recent report on the subject, in order to formulate a plan for the future. A completely different model of care for these patients is recommended based on this review and the experience of the two authors who have been treating patients with functional GI disorders for 20 and 35 years, respectively.