Gastrointestinal nursing is an expanding specialty with a steady increase in both nurse–led services and in specialist nurse practitioners e.g. in inflammatory bowel disease, stoma care, nutrition, endoscopy and counselling. This comprehensive text lays the foundations for care by reviewing the anatomy and physiology underlying common conditions before covering their clinical features, causes, investigation and management. Underlying this approach are the specific nursing aspects of caring for patients with gastrointestinal conditions including psychosocial factors and issues such as the measurement of health related quality of life.