The responsibilities of a gastroenterologist are many and varied. In general, they have many of the same duties as a regular doctor, except that they have full and further knowledge of the digestive system, including any possible diseases and the proper treatment for each one. The primary duty of a gastroenterologist is seeing to the welfare of the patient, much like any other medical professional or specialist.

Since a specialist is often only seen on recommendation of a primary care physician, it is important that they warrant that recommendation by providing friendly, proper treatment. Correct diagnosis is also a very important part of a specialist’s job description. There are several severe conditions that can affect the digestive system and it is important that a gastroenterologist is able to correctly diagnosis and recommend treatment for those conditions.

It is equally important that they are able to recognize less severe conditions so that the patient does not receive a false diagnosis that will cause them undue stress.