rome process rome process the rome process and rome criteria are an international effort to create scientific data to help in the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and rumination syndrome. the rome diagnostic criteria are set forth by rome foundation, a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization based in raleigh, north carolina, united states. history several systematic approaches attempted to classify functional gastrointestinal disorders (fgids). as a result, there were several key events which ultimately led to the current rome classification. in 1962, chaudhary and truelove published their study of ibs patients in oxford, england. this was the first attempt to classify the new field of functional gastrointestinal disorders. much of what they reported has persisted to the present day. subsequently, in 1978 came the "manning criteria" developed by kenneth heaton and colleagues in bristol. this characterized ibs-d (ibs with predominant diarrhea), but importantly, a cluster of symptoms which were characteristic for this disorder. this ultimately became the basis for rome's symptom-based criteria for ibs. from 1980 to 1994, there were several epidemiological and clinical studies evaluating symptom prevalence and frequency in healthy subjects and ibs patients. thompson, drossman, talley, whitehead, and kruis. in 1989, the first consensus-based diagnostic criteria for ibs were established. the following year, a classification system for fgids was established. from 1991 to 1993, several working teams (esophagus, gastroduodenal, bowel, biliary, anorectal) published symptom-based criteria and clinical features of the functional gi disorders within these anatomic domains in gastroenterology international. in 1993, a validated questionnaire of all the diagnostic criteria was created and was then applied in a national survey, the us householder survey: the first national epidemiological database on the prevalence, demographic factors, and health care seeking features of people with fgids. in 1994, fgids were categorized into anatomical domains and resulted in a book now recognized as rome i – the functional gastrointestinal disorders: diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment – a multinational consensus. the rome criteria have been evolving from the first set of criteria issued in 1989 (the rome guidelines for ibs) through the rome classification system for functional gastrointestinal disorders (1990), or rome-1, the rome i criteria for ibs (1992) and the functional gastrointestinal disorders (1994), the rome ii criteria for ibs (1999) and the functional gastrointestinal disorders (1999) to the rome iii criteria (2006). "rome ii" and "rome iii" incorporated pediatric criteria to the consensus. the rome iv update was published 10 years later in may 2016. this covers epidemiology, pathophysiology, psychosocial and clinical features, and diagnostic evaluation and treatment recommendations for 33 adult and 17 pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders. process the rome criteria are achieved and finally issued through a consensual process, using the delphi method (or delphi technique). the rome foundation process is an international effort to create scientific data to help in the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders, also known as disorders of gut-brain interaction. the rome diagnostic criteria are set forth by the rome foundation, an independent, not for profit 501(c)(3) organization. the rome foundation the rome foundation, incorporated in 1996 and based in raleigh, north carolina, is an independent not for profit 501(c) 3 organization. the foundation provides support for activities which foster clinical research, data and educational information which aid in the diagnosis and treatment of functional gastrointestinal disorders. over the last 25 years, the rome organization has sought to legitimize and update the knowledge of functional gi disorders. this has been accomplished by bringing together scientists and clinicians from around the world to classify and critically appraise the science of gastrointestinal function and dysfunction. this knowledge permits clinical scientists to make recommendations for diagnosis and treatment that can be applied in research and clinical practice. the mission is to improve the lives of people with these disorders. the goals of the rome foundation are to promote global recognition and legitimization of fgids, advance the scientific understanding of their pathophysiology, optimize clinical management for these patients and develop and provide educational resources to accomplish these goals. definition of functional gastrointestinal disorders/disorders of gut-brain interaction