Timely Completion of Direct Access Colonoscopy Is Noninferior to Office Scheduled for Screening and Surveillance

We aimed to evaluate whether direct access colonoscopy (DAC) is noninferior to office-scheduled colonoscopy (OSC) for achieving successful colonoscopy.

DAC may improve access to colonoscopy. We developed an algorithm assessing eligibility, risk for inadequate preparation, and need for nursing/navigator assistance.

This was a retrospective, single-center study of DAC and OSC patients from June 5, 2018, to July 31, 2019. Patients were 45 to 75 years old with an indication of screening or surveillance. A successful colonoscopy met 3 criteria: complete colonoscopy (cecum, anastomosis, or ileum), adequate preparation (Boston Score ≥2/segment), and performed <90 days from initial patient contact. Unsuccessful colonoscopy did not meet ≥1 criteria. Secondary end points included days to successful colonoscopy, preparation quality, polyp detection, and 10-year recall rate. Noninferiority against risk ratio value of 0.85 was tested using 1-sided alpha of 0.05.

A total of 1823 DAC and 828 OSC patients were eligible. DAC patients were younger, with a greater proportion of black patients and screening indications. For the outcome of successful colonoscopy, DAC was noninferior to OSC (DAC vs. OSC: 62.7% vs. 57.1%, RR 1.16, 95% LCL 1.09, P =0.001). For DAC, days to colonoscopy were fewer, and likelihood of 10-year recall after negative screening greater. Boston Score and polyp detection were similar for groups. Black patients were less likely to achieve successful colonoscopy; otherwise, groups were similar. For unsuccessful colonoscopies, proportionally more DAC patients canceled or no-showed while more OSC patients scheduled >90 days. DAC remained noninferior to OSC at 180 days.

DAC was noninferior to OSC for achieving successful colonoscopy, comparing similarly in quality and efficiency outcomes.