Table 1.

Structure of the intervention for promoting patient self-management of reflux symptoms

Part/week 1	Part/week 2	Part/week 3	Part/week 4
1. Consent and confidentiality	1. Dealing with diet – what, how, and when to eat – easy approaches to relieving symptoms, using the symptom chart as a guide	1. Identifying problems: the patient's self-identified three biggest problems relating to reflux	1. Evaluating action plans and goals: what to do if the plan works, what to do if it doesn't
2. Expectations – setting realistic goals	2. Managing stress: learning how to deal with the stresses that affect symptoms	2. Goal setting and action planning: guiding the patient to identify what they would like to achieve, and then devising a plan of action	2. Talking with the GP
3. Collecting baseline data			3. Dealing with breakthrough symptoms
4. Anatomy and physiology – explaining what happens when reflux occurs, and why it happens			4. Maintaining the will to succeed
5. The symptoms chart – recording activity details for 7 days, discerning patterns between actions and symptoms			5. Course evaluation