INTRODUCTION:
Bowel preparation is one of the most important factors affecting diagnostic yield and reaching the cecum in colonoscopy. Poor bowel preparation is encountered in up to 25% of colonoscopies. Hospitalized patients typically have poorer bowel preparation compared to outpatients due to factors such as acute illness and narcotic use. In this study, a new bowel preparation process using multimedia and visual aids was introduced with the goal of decreasing suboptimal and incomplete colonoscopy in hospitalized patients.
METHODS:
The study was conducted at a single community hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nurses and nursing assistants completed an online educational module consisting of interactive written and video materials. All patients scheduled for colonoscopy received a brochure and watched a short 10 minutes video detailing the colonoscopy process. This new process was implemented on February 1, 2019. Post-implementation data were collected from February 1, 2019 to March 31, 2019. This was retrospectively compared to pre-implementation timeframe from December 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019. In the post-implementation period, 46 patients were included while 13 patients were excluded due to colonoscopy aborted or not performed for reasons unrelated to bowel preparation. During the pre-implementation period, 48 patients were included and 10 patients were excluded.
RESULTS:
In the post-implementation period there was a decreased in the number of colonoscopies aborted due to poor bowel preparation (19% to 7%). Of the number of completed colonoscopies, the average Boston Bowel Preparation Score are comparable (6.00 versus 5.95). The percentage of adequate bowel preparation, defined as Boston bowel preparation score of 6 or greater, are also similar (58% versus 57%).
CONCLUSION:
There was a significant decline in the number of colonoscopies aborted due to poor bowel preparation after the new process was implemented. The educational materials likely benefited those patients with poor initial understanding of the bowel preparation who would have inadequate preparation for successful colonoscopy otherwise. In patients with adequate initial understanding, the educational materials are less likely to be beneficial or change the outcome of the colonoscopy. This is evidenced by similar average Boston Bowel Preparation Score and percentage of adequate bowel preparation in both timeframes. These findings emphasize the importance of patient advocacy and education.
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