Long-term outcome of multidisciplinary intervention of chronic non-cancer pain patients in a private setting.

Background and aim The present study reports on chronic non-cancer patients who were referred to a private pain clinic, according to a waiting time guarantee and treated within one month from referral. Based on evaluation by members of the multidisciplinary staff at our pain clinic a pain management program could be offered individually or as group therapy. Methods Health related quality of life, psychometric tests, use of pain medication; socio-economic status and number of consultations in general practice were recorded at referral to the clinic and by postal questionnaires at follow-up 21 months later.

Work productivity improvement after acid suppression in patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia.

Introduction: Lost productivity accounts for a significant part of the costs caused by gastrointestinal symptoms. We aimed to describe selfreported productivity in patients presenting with dyspepsia.

Material And Methods: Data were sourced from a randomized, double-blinded study of two weeks of esomeprazole 40 mg or placebo in 805 primary-care patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia.

Randomised clinical trial: identification of responders to short-term treatment with esomeprazole for dyspepsia in primary care - a randomised, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Response to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment in dyspepsia is unpredictable.

Aim: To identify symptoms associated with response to esomeprazole in order to target patients for empirical treatment.

Methods: Eight hundred and five uninvestigated, primary care patients with upper GI symptoms that were considered to be acid-related were randomised to 2 weeks' treatment with esomeprazole 40 mg or placebo.

Functional dyspepsia: not all roads seem to lead to rome.

Background: The Rome criteria have been introduced to create order in the heterogeneity of functional dyspepsia. The applicability of these symptom-based classification systems remains controversial.

Goal: To evaluate the successive Rome criteria for functional dyspepsia in a large pool of patients with endoscopically verified functional dyspepsia.

The diagnosis of IBS in primary care: consensus development using nominal group technique.

Background: The criteria used to identify and diagnose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in primary care are unclear, even though most patients are managed entirely in this setting.

Objective: To use a validated method of consensus development [Nominal Group Technique (Rand version)] (NGT-R) in order to construct a diagnostic framework for IBS appropriate to primary care.

Methods: NGT-R is a formal method of consensus development, which uses structured interaction within a group combined with statistical derivation of group judgements.