188 Egg Breakfast Diet vs. Clear Liquid Diet Before Colonoscopy

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The current regimen of clear liquid diet prior to colon prep is uncomfortable and often fraught with various issues resulting in non-compliance. This has lead to poor colonoscopy preparations delaying diagnosis and treatment, and raising healthcare costs. Recently better-tolerated diets have been studied one of which involves the “low residue diet.” This diet involves various food items that are believed to not only have a short GI course, but also stimulate gut motility. Among them include boiled or scrambled eggs. Several studies have been undertaken with results generally favorable for the low residue diet. No studies, to our knowledge, have been done specifically targeting a low socioeconomic population that may have limited food access or low literacy rates making it difficult to follow specific instructions. This study was designed to target such a group by devising simple and affordable instructions with the overall goal to increase patient satisfaction, compliance, and obtain adequate prep quality. METHODS: A single blinded study was devised that involved 72 patients, with 36 patients in the experimental arm (Egg Breakfast/Low Residue) and 36 patients, age and gender matched, in the conventional arm (Clear Liquid Diet). Study was carried out at a single hospital center with the following exclusion criteria: egg allergy, known history of gastroparesis or chronic constipation. Patients were instructed to have 1–2 boiled/scrambled eggs in the morning prior to colonoscopy and continue with clear liquids and then the standard bowel prep that evening. The performing gastroenterologist was not aware of which patients were in the study. RESULTS: The quality of the colonoscopy preparations was separated in poor, fair, adequate, and good. The results revealed 75% (27) of the patients in the experimental group with either adequate or good prep quality versus 72% (26) in the conventional group. This left 25% for poor/fair prep in the experimental and 28% in the conventional. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the data collected yielded comparable results between the two arms. Moreover, when considering factors such as tolerably or satisfaction, Egg Breakfast Diet appears to be superior to conventional. Thus, this study despite targeting a challenging group of a low socioeconomic population with poor access to resources, limited funds, low literacy rates achieved its overall goal to increase patient satisfaction yet still maintain standard if not better results with colonoscopy prep quality.