Using the plan-do-study-act approach to improve inpatient colonoscopy preparation

Poor inpatient colonoscopy preparations can provide multiple challenges to healthcare providers and patients alike. Poor preparations can make the colonoscopy difficult to perform, and can require the procedure to be repeated. This can in turn lead to greater costs, longer length of stays, less patient satisfaction and worse outcomes. The aim of this quality improvement project was to decrease the rate of poor inpatient colonoscopy preparations using the plan-do-study-act approach. Inpatient colonoscopies at our institution from a 3-month span (November 2016 to January 2017) were evaluated, and found to have a 19% rate of poor preparations. A multiphase intervention programme was then conducted to improve the quality of these preparations. This intervention programme was threefold, and involved (1) direct education to physicians and nursing staff on the preparation process and its importance; (2) the implementation of an electronic order set within our electronic medical record (EMR) to standardise and simplify the process of ordering colonoscopy preparations; and (3) patient education in the form of a handout explaining the steps and importance of a good preparation. Through these interventions, we were able to bring down our rate of poor preparations over a 3-month average from 19% to 4%. Specifically, the implementation of an electronic order set within our EMR resulted in the greatest impact. Our interventions can be replicated at other institutions in order to decrease the rate of poor preparations, and thus result in better outcomes for patients, providers and healthcare facilities.