Diarrhea is a common complaint encountered by patients in daily practice. According to the 2016 Global Burden of Disease study, diarrhea is among the top 10 diseases with a significant impact on patients. Although various efforts to prevent diarrhea have been made in Indonesia and have successfully reduced the incidence and mortality rates, the results still vary across different regions of the country. This is due to the fact that diarrhea prevention measures have not been fully implemented properly in various areas.

Currently, the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to diarrhea is progressing rapidly. In terms of diagnostics, tests have evolved that can detect various pathogens in stool samples, such as multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for stool. The latest guidelines also provide various options for antibiotics and probiotics in diarrhea therapy.

Based on these developments, a new consensus revision for the management of diarrhea in adults is necessary. This revision recommends several guidelines from the latest studies on diagnostics and therapy for diarrhea and includes the management of chronic diarrhea, which was not present in the previous consensus. The 2024 Revision of the National Consensus on the Management of Diarrhea in Adults in Indonesia was held on July 5–6, 2024, in a hybrid format at Hotel Mercure, Cikini, and via Zoom Meeting. The event was attended by 36 panelists, consisting of advisors, members of the Central Board of the Indonesian Gastroenterology Association (PB PGI), and the heads of the joint board of PPHI-PGI-PEGI from all branches across Indonesia, along with representatives from the Central Board of the Indonesian Society for Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (PP PETRI).