The Educational Initiative on Constipation (EIC) is a multidisciplinary, performance improvement program intended to measurably enhance the evaluation and management of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic constipation by gastroenterologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Currently, no widely accepted, clinically useful definition of constipation exists. In addition, patients with constipation experience extreme discomfort, which affects not only their quality of life, but also their ability to work. Data have shown that many patients are dissatisfied with traditional treatment options, primarily because of lack of efficacy.

The EIC is designed to assist health care professionals in understanding symptom-based criteria for IBS-C and chronic constipation, providing insight into when initial therapy is not likely to be successful and more detailed evaluations should be sought, as well as implementing practice performance-based changes.