AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND · PRIMARY CARE
IBS in primary care.
Assess the pattern. Check what needs investigating.
Agree a practical plan with your patient.
One consultation. A plan you can use.
No identifiers. Answers stay in this tab.For adults with suspected IBS. Complete the assessment before selecting treatment.
Urgent or pathway-led assessment
Significant bleeding, iron-deficiency anaemia, weight loss, a mass, suspected IBD or colorectal cancer. Choose the urgency from the clinical finding. Severe acute illness needs hospital assessment, not a routine online referral.
Persistent diarrhoea or an uncertain diagnosis
Persistent watery or nocturnal diarrhoea warrants assessment for microscopic colitis, including right and left colonic biopsies even if the bowel looks normal. Consider bile acid diarrhoea and medicine-related diarrhoea. The symptom history guides specialist testing.
Symptoms remain disabling despite treatment
Review the diagnosis, results, adherence and adequate treatment trials. Refer for persistent symptoms, nutritional restriction, diagnostic uncertainty, complex comorbidity or therapies outside routine primary care.