How Recruitment Locations and Methods of Recruitment Can Affect the Characteristics of the Recruited Patient Population: Clinical Trial Design for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Abstract

In many Western countries, approximately 15-20% of the general population meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and nearly 50% of referrals and follow-up appointments in hospital gastroenterology clinics are for functional bowel disease. IBS is a common problem in community, primary care (general care) and secondary care (hospital, often outpatient) settings, and tertiary care provides at least four potential settings for recruiting patients for clinical trials. You can also view it in the (Request) Center. However, little is known about the effects of patients choosing a different health care setting or moving away from the health system as a “non-consultant”. It is also unclear whether patients receiving treatment at different medical institutions are different. The purpose of this review was to address the following questions: How different are the identified and enrolled subjects in these settings?