Evaluation of clinical outcomes in an interdisciplinary abdominal pain clinic: A retrospective, exploratory review.

backgroundPediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are common and well-accepted to be etiologically complex in terms of the contribution of biological, psychological, and social factors to symptom presentations. Nonetheless, despite its documented benefits, interdisciplinary treatment, designed to address all of these factors, for pediatric FGIDs remains rare. The current study hypothesized that the majority of pediatric patients seen in an interdisciplinary abdominal pain clinic (APC) would demonstrate clinical resolution of symptoms during the study period and that specific psychosocial variables would be significantly predictive of GI symptom improvement.

aimTo evaluate outcomes with interdisciplinary treatment in pediatric patients with pain-related FGIDs and identify patient characteristics that predicted clinical outcomes.

methodsParticipants were 392 children, ages 8-18 [M = 13.8; standard deviation (SD) = 2.7], seen between August 1, 2013 and June 15, 2016 in an interdisciplinary APC housed within the Division of Gastroenterology in a medium-sized Midwestern children's hospital. To be eligible, patients had to be 8 years of age or older and have had abdominal pain for ≥ 8 wk at the time of initial evaluation. Medical and psychosocial data collected as part of standard of care were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed in the context of the observational study. Logistic regression was used to model odds of reporting

resultsNearly 70% of patients followed during the study period achieved resolution on at least one of the employed outcome indices. Among those who achieved resolution during follow up, 43% to 49% did so by the first follow up (

conclusionOutcomes for youth with FGIDs may be significantly improved by paying specific attention to sleep, ensuring adequate skills for relaxation, and screening of and referral for treatment of comorbid depression.