A systematic review published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology showed the Boston bowel preparation scale for colonoscopy is the most user-friendly and validated scale available.
Researchers evaluated literature from 1980 to January 2015, looking for assessments of bowel preparation scales. They included 14 studies that evaluated seven different scales and concluded that all scales had limitations, but the Boston bowel preparation scale was the most thoroughly validated, and it was assessed in five of the 14 studies.
Here are four insights:
1. An association was found between increasing Boston bowel preparation scale scores and greater polyp detection.
2. Researchers also found fewer repeat colonoscopies were associated with increasing Boston bowel preparation scale scores, as were shorter insertion/withdrawal times.
3. Substantial-to-excellent interobserver and intraobserver reliability was also observed with the Boston bowel preparation scale.
4. Although other scales have been less validated, studies have shown:
- The Aronchick scale had fair-to-substantial interobserver reliability
- The Ottawa bowel preparation quality scale exhibited superior interobserver reliability
- The Harefield cleansing scale showed fair-to-moderate interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities
- The Chicago bowel preparation scale had excellent interobserver reliability