APP Insight: Conducting Meaningful Conversations to Assess Therapy Impact

In this video, Amy Ladewski, PA-C, a physician assistant at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, shares her expertise on having focused and meaningful conversations with patients living with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and other neurogastromotility disorders. Amy emphasizes the importance of building rapport, using a patient-centered approach, and assessing not only bowel habits but also quality of life outcomes—from the ability to work and attend school to participating in family and social activities without being limited by symptoms. She explains how to use tools like the Bristol Stool Scale, evaluate stool frequency and evacuation, and ask targeted questions about abdominal pain, bloating, and distension to determine whether current therapies are effective. Amy also highlights the need to monitor side effects, ensure predictability of treatment, and adjust therapies when symptoms remain uncontrolled. With several FDA-approved therapies available for IBS-C, patients do not need to settle for ongoing discomfort. This discussion provides clinicians with practical strategies to guide therapy decisions and empowers patients to seek treatments that truly improve their daily lives. For more educational resources, visit GHAPP.org and the GHAPP ACE App.