Can Visual Inspection Of Colonic Effluent By Healthcare Providers Predict Adequacy Of Bowel Preparation For Effective Colonoscopy?

Inadequate bowel preparation increases intubation time, decreases polyp detection, and necessitates repeat colonoscopies. No effective method to detect poor preparation prior to colonoscope insertion has been described. Previous studies have shown patient assessment of their colonic effluent after bowel preparation to not be a reliable indicator of adequate bowel preparation. Despite no studies demonstrating its predictive ability, many endoscopy units use nurse assessment of colonic effluent to determine if bowel preparation is adequate. Therefore, we sought to assess the ability of healthcare providers to predict if bowel preparation was adequate for effective colonoscopy by visually inspecting patient colonic effluent prior to colonoscopy.