Introduction Invasive medical procedures such as colonoscopies can cause psychological distress and anxiety. Mycolonoscopy.ca is a multilanguage website that provides online written and video information (individual items reported in prior publications to be highly rated by patients) regarding preparation and what to expect before, during, and after colonoscopy. Information about how to access the website is included with all colonoscopy appointment materials in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We evaluated the use of mycolonoscopy.ca among patients undergoing colonoscopy and examined the association between visitation to the website and patient outcomes. Methods A paper-based survey was distributed to patients attending their colonoscopy appointments between 11/2019 and 3/2020. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with website visitation, procedural worry, and bowel preparation scores. Results Five hundred and ninety-three surveys were distributed, of which 506 were completed. 17.4% of participants had visited the website before their colonoscopy. Visitors to mycolonoscopy.ca were more likely to consume a split-dose bowel preparation (63.9%) compared with non-visitors (52.5%) (P = 0.006). 31.3% of website visitors were very/extremely worried about their colonoscopy compared with 17.9% of non-visitors. 76.6% of individuals agreed/strongly agreed that visiting the website helped them prepare for their colonoscopy and 69.7% who visited the website agreed/strongly agreed that it helped to reduce their stress/anxiety for the procedure. In multivariable analyses, visitation to website was associated with higher adequate bowel preparation (OR:10.55; 95% CI:1.35 to 82.4). Conclusion Use of an informative online platform such as mycolonoscopy.ca can help to improve patient education before colonoscopy, reduce worry surrounding the procedure, and improve bowel preparation.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated sleep disturbances, bowel movement (BM) kinetics, and travel experience with different bowel preparation regimens in a substudy of patients enrolled in a randomized multicenter Canadian clinical trial. METHODS:Patients scheduled to have a colonoscopy between 7:30 AM and 10:30 AM (early morning) were randomized to (i) 4-L single-dose polyethylene glycol (PEG) given in the evening before, (ii) 2-L splitdose PEG (1bisacodyl 15 mg), or (iii) 4-L split-dose PEG. Patients scheduled to undergo a colonoscopy between 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM (afternoon) were randomized to (iv) 2-L single-dose PEG (1bisacodyl 15 mg) in the morning, (v) 2-L split-dose PEG (1bisacodyl 15 mg), or (vi) 4-L split-dose PEG. Patients were asked to record information on BM kinetics, sleep, and travel to the endoscopy unit. Continuous and categorical variables were compared between groups using a Kruskal-Wallis test or x 2 test, respectively. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed. RESULTS:Overall, 641 patients were included in this substudy. Patients undergoing early morning colonoscopies reported the most awakenings in the night when assigned to 4-L single-dose day-before PEG and the highest reduction in sleep hours when assigned to 4-L split-dose PEG. There were no significant between-group differences in urgent BMs, fecal incontinence episodes, or travel interruptions. Overall, 17% of those traveling for more than an hour had to stop for a BM during travel, with no significant difference between groups.DISCUSSION:Day-before and split-dose high-volume PEG regimens for colonoscopies scheduled before 10:30 AM lead to the greatest sleep disturbance.

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