Patient experiences with surveillance endoscopy: a qualitative study.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Patient Experience Research
• Qualitative Health Research

Background:

• Adherence to esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) surveillance guidelines for Barrett's esophagus (BE) varies.
• Patient perceptions of EGD experiences influence adherence, but specific impactful elements are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific elements of the EGD experience that shape patient perceptions of surveillance.
• To understand patient perspectives on EGD procedures for Barrett's esophagus.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 patients with varying BE severity.
• Framework analysis of interview data to identify salient EGD experiences.
• Multidisciplinary consensus meetings to validate coding schemes.

Main Results:

• Patient EGD experiences are framed by pre-procedure communication, wait times, interpersonal interactions, procedural discomfort, post-procedure trust in the physician, and perceived control over BE.
• Six key aspects emerged as most memorable and influential.
• Experiences were conceptualized temporally: before, during, and after the endoscopy.

Conclusions:

• Six salient memories significantly shape patient perceptions of the EGD experience.
• Recommendations are provided for measuring patient experiences using validated survey items.
• Future research should link patient experience measures to adherence with surveillance EGD.