# Change in Bowel Habit

- Category: chronic
- Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page)
- Sources: Colon Cancer - StatPearls - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470380/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class DS18 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
- Verified date: 2026-08

## Verified against

- No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

## Treatment metadata

- No drug therapy in primary care (Referral & Advice)

## Complete treatment card

```text
CHANGE IN BOWEL HABIT
Sources: Colon Cancer - StatPearls - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470380/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA
         International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class DS18 - condition scope
         only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
Review status: REVIEWED against the source listed above  (2026-08)

1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (REFERRAL & ADVICE)    [1st line]
   Adult    A non-specific change in stool pattern, colour or consistency that can reflect anything
            from diet to colorectal cancer; it is too vague to attach a specific treatment, so a
            GP's role is to screen for alarm features and refer for further work-up. - Refer, with
            advice
   Peds     Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is
            implied.
   Source   No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
   Why      A non-specific change in stool pattern, colour or consistency that can reflect anything
            from diet to colorectal cancer; it is too vague to attach a specific treatment, so a
            GP's role is to screen for alarm features and refer for further work-up.
   Caution  RED FLAG - Palpable abdominal mass or severe anemia: assess urgently and refer.
            No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and
            referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
            RED FLAG - Blood or mucus visible in the stool, unintentional weight loss, a new
            persistent change after age 50, or a family history of colorectal cancer: refer for
            colonoscopy.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.
```

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