Optimizing Helicobacter pylori therapy through gastroenterologist education: A prospective interventional study

doi:10.3748/wjg.v32.i7.115876

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Feb 21, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 6, 2026

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World Journal of Gastroenterology

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1007-9327

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Prospective Study

World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2026; 32(7): 115876
Published online Feb 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i7.115876

Optimizing Helicobacter pylori therapy through gastroenterologist education: A prospective interventional study

Miao Duan, Qing-Zhou Kong, Xiu-Li Zuo, Xiao-Yun Yang, Yue-Yue Li

Miao Duan, Qing-Zhou Kong, Xiu-Li Zuo, Xiao-Yun Yang, Yue-Yue Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China

Xiao-Yun Yang, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Clinical Research Center of Shandong University, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China

Co-corresponding authors: Xiao-Yun Yang and Yue-Yue Li.

Author contributions: Duan M, Yang XY, and Li YY designed the research and edited the manuscript; Kong QZ participated in data analyses and graphic design; Zuo XL supervised the entire study and performed a critical revision of this article; Yang XY reviewed all the statistical methods used in this study; Yang XY and Li YY contributed equally as co-corresponding authors. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, No. 2022JC021; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82270570 and No. 82070551; and the ECCM Program of Clinical Research Center of Shandong University, No. 2021SDUCRCB003.

Institutional review board statement: Approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 2021(138).

Clinical trial registration statement: The study was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov under the registration number NCT05065138.

Informed consent statement: All participants in the study were informed about the study details and signed informed consent forms.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.

Data sharing statement: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Yue-Yue Li, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China. lyynqj@126.com

Received: October 29, 2025
Revised: December 11, 2025
Accepted: December 31, 2025
Published online: February 21, 2026
Processing time: 101 Days and 22.6 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Enhancing the professionalism of physicians in diagnosing and treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is crucial, given their pivotal role in the eradication therapy.

AIM

To explore the effectiveness of a single training course on H. pylori eradication therapy in gastroenterologists.

METHODS

This was a prospective, before-and-after, non-randomized interventional study based on real-world data. From March 2022 to December 2023, each physician enrolled 25 patients and acquired review outcomes, before they underwent professional training. Following this educational intervention, each physician proceeded to enroll an additional cohort of 25 patients and obtained subsequent review results for comparison. The primary outcome was a comparison of H. pylori eradication rate among gastroenterologists before and after training.

RESULTS

In total, 20 physicians and 1000 patients were finally analyzed. After training, the eradication rates improved significantly in both intention-to-treat analysis [58.6% vs 71.6%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.785, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.370-2.325, P < 0.001] and per-protocol analysis (81.2% vs 88.6%, OR = 1.788, 95%CI: 1.191-2.684, P = 0.005). The therapy standardization rates (71.0% vs 89.6%, OR = 3.519, 95%CI: 2.490-4.974, P < 0.001) and patient review rates (71.4% vs 80.4%, OR = 1.643, 95%CI: 1.225-2.204, P = 0.001) also improved significantly. However, no improvement was found in adverse reaction documentation rates (21.0% vs 21.2%, OR = 1.010, 95%CI: 0.743-1.372, P = 0.951). Subgroup analysis revealed that physicians with less experience and historically lower eradication rates benefited more from the training course.

CONCLUSION

A one-time training course on H. pylori eradication in physicians could improve H. pylori eradication rates, as well as therapy standardization rates and patient review rates.

Keywords: Helicobacter pylori eradication; Quality measurement; Healthcare quality improvement; Medical education; Helicobacter pylori

Core Tip: A significant improvement in the effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori infection therapy was observed among gastroenterologists following a single structured training course, as demonstrated by this prospective, before-and-after, non-randomized interventional study based on real-world data. Following training, physicians achieved significantly higher eradication rates (58.6% vs 71.6% in intention-to-treat analysis) and improved therapy standardization. The intervention was particularly beneficial for less experienced physicians and those with historically lower success rates. These findings highlight that targeted professional education is a simple, effective strategy to improve clinical outcomes and standardize care in Helicobacter pylori eradication.