These patient care guidelines were written for the primary care physician on a variety of digestive diseases to assist on when to refer the patient for surgical consultation.

Their goal is to guide Primary Care Physicians to the appropriate utilization of surgical procedures on the alimentary tract or related organs and they are based on critical review of the literature and expert opinion. Both of the latter sources of information result in a consensus that is recorded in the form of these Guidelines. The consensus addresses the range of acceptable clinical practice and should not be construed as a standard of care.
These Guidelines require periodic revision to ensure that clinicians utilize procedures appropriately but the reader must realize that clinical judgment may justify a course of action outside of the recommendations contained herein.