Biopsychosocial model of treatment of functional dyspepsia: the modern role of the medical psychologist according to the Rome V criteria

Abstract

More than two millennia ago, Hippocrates stated: “It is far more important to know what sort of person has a disease than what disease a person has.” Although this statement long predates the era of evidence-based medicine, it remarkably reflects the philosophy of patientcentered care. Today, this concept has gained a solid scientific foundation through the biopsychosocial model and the concept of Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction (DGBI), which constitute the conceptual basis of the Rome V criteria. This paradigm recognizes the need for multidisciplinary patient management and provides the rationale for integrating the medical psychologist as an essential member of the multidisciplinary team. To analyze the role of the medical psychologist in the multidisciplinary management of patients with functional dyspepsia, a gastroduodenal disorder of gut–brain interaction, in accordance with the Rome V criteria conceptual framework, and to highlight the importance of the biopsychosocial model, psychological phenotyping, assessment of psychosocial factors, and psychological interventions in implementing patient-centered care. Contemporary management of functional dyspepsia should include not only pharmacological treatment and dietary recommendations but also evidence-based psychological interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, stress management strategies, and mindfulness-based interventions. Such an integrated approach provides more comprehensive and sustainable clinical outcomes and forms the basis of personalized, patient-centered care, in which the medical psychologist is not merely an additional consultant but an integral member of the multidisciplinary team. Integration of the medical psychologist into the multidisciplinary team managing patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction facilitates the early identification of psychosocial factors contributing to symptom persistence, improves the effectiveness of comprehensive treatment, enhances treatment adherence, reduces unnecessary healthcare utilization and inappropriate diagnostic procedures, and ultimately improves patient’s prognosis and quality of life.