Research Communication: Healthcare Utilisation Patterns in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Across an Integrated Healthcare System

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have higher healthcare utilisation than those without. The specific comorbidities and impact of treatments contributing to increased utilisation have not been fully characterised. We identified 53,323 patients with IBS from the electronic health records of a large, integrated healthcare system. Patients with IBS and comorbid psychological, cardiometabolic, chronic pain and sleep conditions had higher rates of outpatient and Emergency Department visits. All IBS medications were associated with reduced outpatient visits. Our findings enable healthcare systems to better target interventions to reduce unnecessary utilisation and associated costs.