A patient in the clinic reports frequent episodes of bloating,abdominal pain,and loose stools to the primary care nurse practitioner (NP).An important question the NP should ask about the abdominal pain is:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The new Rome II guidelines maintain that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)of any subtype is characterized by a strong relationship between abdominal pain and defecation because of visceral hypersensitivity to gut-related events.The other characteristics of pain may be assessed to help guide management of IBS,but the first is necessary for a correct diagnosis.

A Patient in the Clinic Reports Frequent Episodes of Bloating,abdominal