David Yu, MD, Sunil Patel, MD, FRSCS. Kingston General Hospital, Queen’s University
BACKGROUND: Adequate visualization of the entire lumen of the large bowel is essential in detecting pathology and establishing diagnoses during colonoscopies. Patients are provided dietary instructions and medications in order to achieve adequate bowel preparation. Given the extensive amount of preparation required, some patients may be unable to adhere to the prescribed routine, resulting in rescheduling or repeat procedures and misallocation of limited resources. A number of previous quality-improvement efforts have been implemented to ensure adequate preparation prior to colonoscopy.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop and assess the feasibility of a novel smart phone application in the delivery of bowel preparation instructions.
METHODS: A novel smart phone application was developed to deliver bowel preparation instructions to patients undergoing colonoscopy for the first time. Patients were included in the pilot phase of this project if they were undergoing a colonoscopy for the first time. We included patients who had access to a smart phone, had not previously had a bowel preparation for any reason. We excluded patients with a previous diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer.
Patient surveys were administered at the time of colonoscopy. Patients were questioned regarding the completeness of bowel preparation and adherence to bowel preparation instructions. Patient questionnaires were completed to ascertain the ease of use of the smart phone application and any concerns that arose. Quality of bowel preparation was assessed by the colonoscopist using the validated Ottawa bowel preparation score.
This is the pilot study results for the “COLOPREP” Trial (NCT03225560).
RESULTS: A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the pilot phase of this study. Patient satisfaction, adherence to instructions and ease of use of the smart phone application were ascertained. Bowel preparation, as assessed by the colonoscopist, was reported.
CONCLUSIONS: This study assessed the feasibility of using a novel smart phone application for delivery of bowel preparation instruction. This pilot study is the initial phase of a randomized controlled trial to compare smart phone application vs. written instructions in the delivery of bowel preparation instructions.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 87718
Program Number: P203
Presentation Session: iPoster Session (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Poster
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