Patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease were interviewed about their degree of satisfaction with the medical information provided by the professional staff and the reasons for their satisfaction. 30 patients, suffering from ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, underwent semistandardized interviews with the result that professional education about their disease was provided either in a single concluding session or in several consecutive sessions. The patients were informed about the diagnosis, the assumed etiology and medical treatment, yet much less frequently were they told about the course of their disease or its possible consequences. On the average the clarifying sessions did not take more than 10 to 15 minutes. Only 50% of the patients were able to fully understand the information they received. 40% were dissatisfied. Greater patient satisfaction was related to more time, more detailed explanation, and emotional support by the physician. These facts should be seriously considered during medical training.