Can Understanding Gut-Brain Axis Biopsychosocial Pathways Improve Clinical Reasoning?

Most nurse practitioners (NPs) practice in primary care settings. Cognitive tools to inform and advance NP understanding of biopsychosocial mechanisms can support early recognition, interdisciplinary collaboration, interventions, and prevention of negative outcomes. We describe the development of a model to support NP consideration of gut-brain axis evidence-based pathways, contributing variables, and related health outcomes. The model's outcomes are factors associated with homeostasis or disruption of biological, psychological, and social systems. This cognitive tool aims to support NP awareness of multidomain gut-brain axis relationships to consider with differential diagnoses and clinical treatment of the "whole body system." (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.