A study, published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, examined why patients visited emergency departments after colonoscopies to assess a proposed quality measure.
Laurie Grossberg, MD, of Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, single-center, cohort study of 50,319 outpatient colonoscopies (44,082 patients) at academic medical centers or affiliated facilities from January 2008 to September 2013.
Researchers determined how many patients visited emergency departments within seven days of a colonoscopy.
Here's what you should know:
1. There were 382 emergency departments visits after a colonoscopy. Approximately 68 percent of those visits were related to the procedure.
2. Researchers determined endoscopic mucosal resection, endoscopist adenoma detection rate and white race were all factors that influenced emergency department visits.
Researchers concluded, "Increased patient complexity, higher endoscopist ADR and EMR were associated with increased ED use after colonoscopy. Patients at high risk for unplanned hospital visit within 7 days should be targeted for quality improvement efforts to reduce adverse events and cost."