ArticleBMC gastroenterology2026
Gender-dependent preferences of medical professionals in treatment choices for irritable bowel syndrome: results from an exploratory study.
Article in BMC gastroenterology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a highly prevalent, chronic disorder of the Gut-brain interaction associated with a high healthcare utilization burden. The treatment of IBS remains challenging due to numerous treatment options and heterogeneity in IBS symptoms. Therefore, for effective decision-making, insight into management strategies and treatment preferences of both patients and physicians is important. In our previous study, the most-preferred treatment among IBS patients was dietary intervention, subsequently pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. However, the preferences of physicians remain unclear.
aimsThe aim of this study was to explore treatment preferences for IBS among physicians and explore gender differences.
methodsA labeled discrete choice experiment (DCE) survey was filled in, containing twelve scenarios with each three alternatives (medication, diet, psychotherapy). Five attributes were included in the treatment scenario: effectiveness, time until response, time until recurrence, side effects and treatment burden. The preference weights were analyzed using a mixed logit model.
resultsIn total, 52 physicians completed the DCE survey (58% female). The majority of these respondents were gastroenterologists (51.9%), followed by gastroenterology trainees (34.7%). The most-preferred treatment was pharmacotherapy, subsequently dietary intervention and psychotherapy. Effectiveness, treatment burden and mild side effects were reported to be important treatment characteristics. Female physicians chose dietary interventions and psychotherapy more often than male physicians.
conclusionsPharmacotherapy was the most-preferred IBS therapy among physicians. Female physicians may be more inclined to choose non-pharmacological interventions compared to males. However, future studies should further investigate gender differences and their impact on management strategies for IBS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.