Education and Self-efficacy of Probiotic Use in Patients with Chronic Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Functional GI disorders are categorized as a group of chronic symptoms that are considered to have no abnormalities that can account for patient’s illnesses. Included in this category are those patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Functional GI issues are an important public health concern as they are becoming increasingly more common; they can be disabling and can cause significant socioeconomic burden in regard to health care costs, productivity and disability. There is strong evidence that probiotics have the potential to reduce IBS symptoms.