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Hasan Zaidi, Dilip Patel

University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

Cancer of the colon and rectum is among the most common cancers in men and women combined in Canada. Screening for colorectal cancer is proven to reduce mortality. Colonoscopy remains the essential modality for screening. For population based screening to be successful a high level of compliance is required. Patient satisfaction remains a limiting factor in compliance. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate patient satisfaction during colonoscopy.

Our study evaluated patient satisfaction with pre and post colonoscopy surveys. One was administered prior to the patient having their procedure and one was administered after the colonoscopy. The patient satisfaction surveys employed were modifications of the GHAA-9 (Group Health association of America) patient satisfaction survey, which has been previously rendered applicable to endoscopy patient satisfaction by the ASGE.

A total of 187 patients scheduled for elective colonoscopy were surveyed. Female respondents consistently reported higher levels of satisfaction with the services provided. The question that appeared to score the lowest across both gender subgroups was the question regarding adequacy of pain control. Male respondents gave an overall mean score of 4.56/5, while female respondents gave an overall mean score of 4.7/5. Overall the greatest source of anxiety reported by all respondents included potential discomfort, complications and findings. The top two items influencing patient satisfaction included adequate analgesia and the personal manner of the performing physician.

Patient satisfaction is an important outcome in GI endoscopy. The single greatest factor influencing their satisfaction is the adequacy of pain control they receive. Overall, endoscopy satisfaction is an important aspect of performance and can help improve compliance and the quality of care provided.

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