Measuring severity in functional GI disorders (FGIDs) is extremely important since it can guide diagnostic evaluation, risk assessment, and treatment decisions. However, there has been a lack of consensus regarding severity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other FGIDs. In late 2005, the Rome Foundation assembled a working group to develop guidelines for severity assessment in FGID. This committee is comprised of members with different areas of expertise but with a mutual interest in severity and/or health outcomes assessment. The committee produced a report that has been published in the The American Journal of Gastroenterology.