Family nurse practitioners frequently see patients with gastrointestinal complaints. When can the family NP treat the patient, and when does the patient need to be referred to a GI specialist? Julia Pallentino, board certified nurse practitioner at GI Associates of Tallahassee in Tallahassee, Florida, discusses with host Mimi Secor common gastroenterological problems and their diagnostics and management. What can family NPs learn from the specialist about screening and treating gastroenterological conditions? On a related note, how can NPs convince the colonoscopy-phobic patient over 50 to begin colon cancer screening?
