The development and evaluation of a nurse led food intolerance clinic in primary care

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.

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.

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.

There was a need for the clinic although not on a full time basis. Symptoms improved following both the HE and WD plans.

A simple dietary based intervention may help relieve symptoms in those who believe they have a food intolerance.