Objective: To develop a clinic for patients who believe they have a food intolerance that could be administered by practice nurses with minimal experience of dietary change or food intolerance. Methods: The clinic consisted of 1 week baseline, 2 weeks healthy eating plan (HE), 2 weeks wheat and dairy free plan (WD). Patients were discharged after the HE plan if their symptoms had improved, otherwise they continued onto the WD plan. Following training 4 nurses ran 4 clinics across the UK. Results: 281 patients with perceived food intolerance were recruited. The most common symptoms were bowel symptoms, tiredness, stomach symptoms, and headaches. Of those who completed the programme (n= 150), the majority were discharged after the HE plan as their symptoms had improved (n= 106, 70.6%). A third also completed the WD plan (n= 44, 29%). Symptoms, mood and quality of life improved significantly by the end of the intervention. WD showed added value as symptoms showed further improvement. Conclusion: There was a need for the clinic although not on a full time basis. Symptoms improved following both the HE and WD plans. Practice implications: A simple dietary based intervention may help relieve symptoms in those who believe they have a food intolerance. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Ogden, J., Leftwich, J., & Nelson, M. (2011). The development and evaluation of a nurse led food intolerance clinic in primary care. Patient Education and Counseling, 85(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.10.020
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