Evaluating colonoscopy quality by performing provider type

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Public Health
• Surgical Procedures

Background:

• Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in the US.
• Colonoscopy is crucial for colorectal cancer screening and follow-up.
• Quality of colonoscopy is assessed by bowel preparation, cecal intubation, withdrawal time, and adenoma detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the quality and safety of screening colonoscopies performed by non-gastroenterologist (non-GI) practitioners versus gastroenterologists (GI).
• To assess if non-GI providers meet established quality metrics for colonoscopy.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study population.
• Colonoscopy quality indicators were stratified and compared between provider types (GI, general surgeons, family medicine).
• Statistical significance was set at P < .05, with all P values being 2-sided.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in colonoscopy quality between non-GI and GI providers.
• All provider types achieved or surpassed benchmarks for cecal intubation (98-100%), bowel preparation (97.4-100%), adenoma detection rates (male: 57.4-88.9%; female: 47.7-62.13%), and mean withdrawal time (0:12:10 to 0:20:16).
• All quality indicators met or exceeded goal metrics across all provider groups (P < .001).

Conclusions:

• Non-GI practitioners perform screening colonoscopies with quality comparable to GI practitioners.
• The study supports the use of non-GI providers for colonoscopies, particularly in underserved areas.
• Performance outcomes indicate that non-GI providers meet key quality metrics for colonoscopy.