A Prospective Randomized Study to Predict Bowel Preparation Quality Prior to Colonoscopy: Comparison of Two Stool...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Endoscopy
• Medical Device Evaluation

Background:

• High-quality colonoscopy relies on adequate bowel preparation.
• Assessing the clarity of rectal effluent is crucial for evaluating bowel preparation effectiveness.
• The method of stool collection significantly impacts the reliability of effluent clarity assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the sensitivity of clarity assessments for rectal effluent collected via two different methods.
• To evaluate the impact of stool collection method on identifying inadequate bowel preparation.
• To assess patient compliance and self-assessment reliability in relation to collection methods.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized, comparative study involving 140 patients.
• Comparison of effluent clarity assessment using a disposable cardboard bedpan with a white bag versus a 50 mL transparent plastic container.
• Analysis of detection sensitivity for inadequate bowel preparation and patient compliance.

Main Results:

• The cardboard bedpan method correctly identified inadequate bowel preparation in 71% of cases, versus 23% for the plastic container (p=0.033).
• Detection sensitivity for adequate preparation was high and similar between groups (88% vs 85%, p=0.854).
• Significantly more patients using the plastic container withdrew or failed to submit effluent photographs; patient self-assessments were unreliable.

Conclusions:

• Patient self-assessment of bowel cleanliness is unreliable for colonoscopy preparation.
• A disposable cardboard bedpan with a white bag enhances the accuracy of identifying inadequate bowel preparation.
• This collection method improves patient compliance and allows for timely adjustments to bowel cleansing protocols.