Multifaceted Intervention Improves Bowel Preparation and Intra-Procedural Simethicone Use in Screening Colonoscopy

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer in the United States with an incidence of 36.5/100,000 people and a mortality rate of 13.1/100,000 people. Colonoscopies are the gold standard for detection and prevention of colorectal cancers. Successful colonoscopy can be limited by inadequate bowel preparation, which can prolong procedure time, decrease efficiency, and require the use of intra-procedural simethicone to improve visualization. Simethicone via irrigation channel may lead to formation of biofilms in colonoscopes rendering them more challenging to clean and process, and an endoscope manufacturer has recommended against its use. We sought to improve rates of adequate bowel preparation and decrease intra-procedural simethicone use at our institution via a multimodal approach.