Review Article: Implementation Challenges in Helicobacter pylori Management: Bridging Evidence and Real-World Practice.

BACKGROUND

Despite increasingly refined diagnostic strategies and regularly updated treatment guidelines, real-world outcomes of Helicobacter pylori management remain variable. Antimicrobial resistance alone does not fully explain these discrepancies, suggesting important challenges in the implementation of evidence-based care.

AIMS: To identify recurring implementation-related challenges across the Helicobacter pylori care pathway and highlight priorities for improving real-world management.

METHODS

This expert-informed review integrated relevant literature, international guideline documents, and structured international expert prioritisation. An initial list of implementation-related pitfalls was developed through literature review, clinical experience, and discussions among the coordinating authors and selected co-authors. Twenty-six experts from five continents participated in a structured consultation process and rated predefined pitfalls using a 5-point Likert scale. Median scores were used for relative prioritisation.

RESULTS

Treatment selection and patient management emerged as the domains most consistently prioritised by participating experts. High-impact pitfalls included empirical triple therapy in high-resistance settings, inadequate patient counselling, and empirical retreatment without escalation. Additional challenges were identified across diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up domains, highlighting persistent implementation-related barriers throughout the care pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Recurring implementation-related challenges remain important barriers to optimal Helicobacter pylori management. Structured expert prioritisation highlights potential targets for improvement and supports further research and implementation-focused strategies to improve delivery of care.