Jan Tack|Florencia Carbone|Lieselot Holvoet|Hanne Vanheel|Tim Vanuytsel|Alain Vandenberghe
The use of pictograms improves symptom evaluation by patients with functional dyspepsia
KU Leuven|KU Leuven|KU Leuven|KU Leuven|KU Leuven|KU Leuven
validated patientreported outcome pro measure exists functional dyspepsia fd assessment verbal descriptions different upper abdominal symptoms may poorly distinguishable patientsto investigate whether understanding fd symptoms enhanced pictograms symbolising nature symptoms besides verbal descriptorsconsecutive fd patients randomised fill questionnaire assessing nineupper gastrointestinal symptoms postprandial fullness early satiation epigastric pain epigastric burning bloating centred upper abdomen nausea vomiting heartburn regurgitation without accompanying pictograms symptoms rated frequency severity 05 patients also identified bothersome symptom subsequently indepth history taken expert clinician filled symptom ratings concordance patient clinician ratings quantified using chisquare kappa statisticscontent validity pictograms first confirmed 15 fd patients next 76 patients 52 women age 422 19 randomised questionnaires without pictograms concordance clinicians assessment gold standard rose 36 without 48 questions pictograms p 00001 considering rome iii subdivision benefit concordance pictograms present postprandial distress epigastric pain syndrome reflux symptoms kappa statistics confirmed gains weighted kappa values concordance symptom frequency ratings rose 0214 0446 pictograms also showed better concordance bothersome symptom pictogramspictograms accompanying verbal descriptors significantly improve concordance functional dyspepsia symptom ratings patients evaluation physicians