Treatment of childhood constipation by primary care physicians: efficacy and predictors of outcome.

Objective: Childhood constipation accounts for 3% of visits to general pediatric clinics and as many as 30% of visits to pediatric gastroenterologists. The majority of children who experience constipation and whose caregivers seek medical care are seen by primary care physicians such as pediatricians or family physicians. Little is known about how primary care physicians treat childhood constipation or the success of their treatments.