Background.. Our objective was to (1) determine whether more complications are reported by patients 30 days after outpatient colonoscopy than are discussed at our monthly morbidity and mortality conferences, (2) ident...
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Background.. Our objective was to (1) determine whether more complications are reported by patients 30 days after outpatient colonoscopy than are discussed at our monthly morbidity and mortality conferences, (2) identify complications resulting in visits to the emergency department or physician's office or leading to hospitalization, and (3) assess which factors put patients at highest risk. A secondary goal was to determine the rate of work lost after outpatient colonoscopy. Methods: Trained interviewers performed standardized telephone interviews of consecutive outpatients undergoing colonoscopy at Georgetown University Hospital over a 1-year period. Results: One thousand one hundred ninety-six patients were contacted 30 days after outpatient colonoscopy and participated in our study. Twenty patients had complications that required a visit to an emergency department or physician. Ninety percent of these cases (18) were detected at 30 days, but 15% (3) were discussed at morbidity and mortality conferences. All seven complications that necessitated hospitalization were identified at 30 days, but only two were discussed at our morbidity and mortality conference. The most common complications reported by patients were abdominal discomfort (5.4%) and rectal bleeding (2.1%). Conclusion: More complications are detected by means of contacting patients 30 days after outpatient colonoscopy than are discussed at our morbidity and mortality conferences.
Background & Aims: The most effective prophylaxis for colorectal cancer is endoscopic polypectomy. Prompted by the disadvantages of conventional colonoscopy (CC), we assessed the diagnostic ability of a promising ...
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Background & Aims: The most effective prophylaxis for colorectal cancer is endoscopic polypectomy. Prompted by the disadvantages of conventional colonoscopy (CC), we assessed the diagnostic ability of a promising alternative technique for detecting endoluminal masses: magnetic resonance colonography (MRC). Methods: Seventy consecutive patients referred for CC underwent preliminary MRC. The diagnostic ability of this technique in detecting colonic endoluminal lesions was determined, compared with that of CC, and related to the findings from histologic examination. Results: In detecting endoluminal lesions, MRC achieved a diagnostic accuracy similar to CC (sensitivity, 96%;specificity, 93%;positive predictive value, 98%;and negative predictive value, 87.5%). Conclusions: MRC could be useful in screening programs of patients at high risk for colon cancer. Patients with MRC-detected endoluminal lesions must undergo CC for histologic diagnosis.
Maximizing the outcomes of any diagnostic or treatment strategy translated from clinical trials to community practice is a complex process. Certainly, this is true of screening and diagnostic strategies for colorectal...
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Maximizing the outcomes of any diagnostic or treatment strategy translated from clinical trials to community practice is a complex process. Certainly, this is true of screening and diagnostic strategies for colorectal cancer and polyps. First, clinicians must identify clinical trials with valid results. Second, questions should be posed regarding whether the population in community practice is similar to that of the study population in the clinical trial, whether the methodology of the trial is or can be reproduced in the community setting, and whether the individuals performing the strategies have comparable training and expertise to those in the clinical trial. Most importantly, monitoring the performance of the strategies in community practice identifies areas of strength and weakness and allows for decision making that optimizes patient outcomes.
When implementing a CQI program in colonoscopy, the above performance measures provide the foundation to assess procedural quality and should be routinely tracked on all patients undergoing colonoscopy. In some cases,...
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When implementing a CQI program in colonoscopy, the above performance measures provide the foundation to assess procedural quality and should be routinely tracked on all patients undergoing colonoscopy. In some cases, this may require only a random sample of patients. For example, patient satisfaction and procedure success might require only a quarterly sample of patients to provide the necessary data. In other areas, such as demographics, indications, and complications, all patients undergoing colonoscopy should be tracked. This is particularly true for complications because they occur so infrequently.
The article by Shaheen and Ransohoff (1) demonstrates how managed care has forced physicians to reevaluate the cost effectiveness of the procedures that they perform. However, in my 25 years as a primary care doctor, ...
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The article by Shaheen and Ransohoff (1) demonstrates how managed care has forced physicians to reevaluate the cost effectiveness of the procedures that they perform. However, in my 25 years as a primary care doctor, I have seen many patients with colon cancer in the transverse or ascending colon, well beyond the reach of my flexible sigmoidoscope. This makes me wonder if patients would be better served by having a colonoscopy every 10 years or so, rather than having flexible sigmoidoscopies at more frequent intervals. This issue concerns many primary care doctors who perform sigmoidoscopy routinely.
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