Treatment of Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms Using Hypnotherapy Sessions

The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) is a 5-item questionnaire that rates the severity of abdominal pain, number of days with abdominal pain, distention/bloating, bowel habits, and interference in quality of life. Each question has a possible score of 100 points. The total score can range from 0 - 500, with higher scores indicating greater severity of symptoms.

The Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders Symptom Severity Index (PAGI-SYM) is a 20-item questionnaire that rates the severity of upper gastrointestinal symptoms across 6 subscales: heartburn, nausea/vomiting, fullness, bloating, upper abdominal pain, and lower abdominal pain. Subscale scores are calculated by averaging across items comprising the subscale; scores vary from 0 (none or absent) to 5 (very severe).

The Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) is a 9-item questionnaire that assesses the severity of nine gastroparesis symptoms, grouped into three categories: nausea/vomiting, bloating, and postprandial fullness. Each symptom is rated on a scale of 0 (no symptom) to 5 (very severe). The GCSI score is calculated as an average for each category, with higher numbers indicating a greater severity of symptoms.

The Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders-Quality of Life (PAGI-QOL) is a 30-item questionnaire that assesses the quality of life for patients with upper gastrointestinal disorders. Symptom severity is rated on a 6-pointLikert scale with 0 = 'None of the time' and 6 = 'All of the time'. Higher scores indicate a poorer quality of life.

The Personal Health Questionnaire Depression Scale (PHQ-9) is an 9-item questionnaire used to assess symptoms of depression over the last 2 weeks. Questions are rated on a 4-point Likert scale with 0 = 'Not at all sure' and 4 = 'Nearly every day'. Total scores range from 0-24, with 0-4: No significant depressive symptoms, 5-9: Mild depression, 10-14: Moderate depression, 15-19: Moderately severe depression, and 20-24: Severe depression.

The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment - General Health (WPAI-GH) Questionnaire is a 6-item instrument to measure impairments over the past 7 days in both paid work and unpaid work due to one's health.

The EQ-5D (not an abbreviation) is a 5-item questionnaire used to assess quality of life over 5 domains: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Questions are rated on a 5-point Likert scale where 0 indicates no interference with daily activities, and 5 indicates inability to perform daily tasks. Higher overall scores indicate a greater degree of difficulty performing daily tasks.

The General Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD 7) scale to assess severity of generalized anxiety disorder. Scoring is calculated by assigning scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 to the response categories, respectively, of "not at all," "several days," "more than half the days," and "nearly every day." Total score for the seven items ranges from 0 to 21 where 0 is no anxiety, 1-4 is minimal anxiety, 5-9 is mild anxiety, 10-14 is moderate anxiety, and 15-21 is severe anxiety.

The 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) measures global perceived stress experienced by the participant over the preceding 30 days. The questions in this assessment tool ask how often the participant felt or thought a certain way during the past month. Possible answers include: 0 - never; 1 - almost never; 2 - sometimes; 3 - fairly often, and 4 - very often. Possible scores range from 0 to 20, with lower scores indicating a better outcome (less stress).

The Alimetry Gut-Brain Wellbeing Survey (AGBW) is a 10-item questionnaire used to assess mental wellbeing in patients with chronic gastroduodenal symptoms. Questions are rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with 0 = 'None of the time' and 5 = 'All of the time'. Higher overall score indicates a greater impact of the patient's gastroduodenal symptoms on their mental wellbeing.

The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ-R) consists of nine items rated on a scale from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum). The first five assess cognitive perceptions such as effect on life (item 1); duration of illness (item 2); control over illness (item 3); beliefs about the effectiveness of treatment (item 4); and experience of symptoms (item 5). Items 6 and 8 assess emotional aspects to include concern about illness and a multifaceted question about mood. Item 7 assesses degree of understanding of the illness. The final item is open-ended, asking respondents to rank the three most important factors causing their illness.

The Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI) is a 15-item questionnaire used to assess gastrointestinal-specific anxiety. Questions are rated on a 6-point Likert scale, with 0 = 'Strongly Agree' and 6 = 'Strongly Disagree'. Higher score overall indicates a greater degree of anxiety.