Adaptive Strategies for Outpatient Colonoscopies in Response to COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a decline in outpatient colonoscopies that continues at varying levels.1 To prevent delay in colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnoses, centers strategized to expand fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) and triage symptomatic and FIT-positive colonoscopies.2,3 Although much has been written about missed CRC diagnoses,4 few studies have examined the impact of adaptive strategies on CRC and advanced polyp (AP) detection rates.5 It was hypothesized that these strategies would increase detection rates compared with prepandemic levels owing to the targeting of high-risk patients.