Comparing phone and online cognitive-behavioral therapy with usual care for irritable bowel syndrome

Competing interests: PL is the director of PGfAR and a member of the Journals Library Board. RMM reports personal fees from training in IBS intervention for Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and University of East Anglia, outside the submitted work. TC reports grants from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. She was a faculty member, Third International Conference on Functional (Psychogenic) Neurological Disorders, September 2017, Edinburgh, member of the IAPT Education and Training ERG (2016–), member of the IAPT Outcomes and Informatics Meeting (2016–) and president of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (2012–2015) for which she did not receive payment. Workshops were delivered on medically unexplained symptoms, during the conduct of the study (money paid into KCL for future research). TC has a patent background IP—manuals were developed prior to trial starting. SL and KG report grants from NIHR. The TSC chair, PW, was a colleague of TC in the past but he has recently retired. RMM reports personal fees from training in IBS intervention for Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and University of East Anglia, outside the submitted work. Since this study was submitted, she has received payment for consultancy to Mahana Therapeutics. The CBT patient and the therapist manual used in the telephone CBT arm are freely available on the National Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) for LTC/MUS website as part of evidence-based resources for IAPT. The patient manual is background IP developed by CI’s RMM and TC in previous work. The therapist manual was developed for the ACTIB trial. These manuals were only made available once the 12-month ACTIB follow-up was complete. HAE, FB, GOR, AS, RH, SL, SH, SW, PMC, NC and RL have nothing to disclose.