The Experience Sampling Method--a new digital tool for momentary symptom assessment in IBS: an exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Psychiatry
• Digital Health

Background:

• Retrospective questionnaires for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptom assessment are prone to recall bias.
• Electronic Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) offers a potential solution by enabling random, repeated, momentary assessments.
• This study directly compares ESM to traditional retrospective methods in IBS patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy of symptom reporting in IBS patients using electronic Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) versus retrospective questionnaires.
• To evaluate the impact of affective comorbidity on symptom reporting differences.
• To explore the potential of ESM for better understanding IBS symptomatology and triggers.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six IBS patients (Rome III criteria), 16 with panic disorder (DSM-IV-TR), participated.
• Symptom data collected via end-of-day diaries for 14 days and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) once.
• ESM was implemented for seven consecutive days during the same period.

Main Results:

• End-of-day diary and GSRS scores for abdominal pain, flatulence, nausea, and belching were significantly higher than ESM-assessed scores.
• GSRS upper abdominal pain scores (4.77 ± 1.50) were substantially higher than ESM mean scores (2.44 ± 1.30).
• Affective comorbidity did not influence the observed differences in pain reporting between methods.

Conclusions:

• IBS patients tend to overreport pain in retrospective assessments, likely recalling peak rather than average experiences.
• ESM provides a more nuanced and potentially accurate method for assessing IBS symptom severity and fluctuations.
• ESM holds promise for gaining deeper insights into IBS symptom patterns and identifying potential triggers.