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G A S T R O E N T E R O L O G Y
"If we find out that the patient
is not going to be well prepared, then we know we have
to reschedule that
colonoscopy."
2. Try split preps.
Facilities experimenting with
split preps — 2 liters of prep
the night before colonoscopy
and 2 liters on the morning of
the procedure — are finding
more flexibility with schedulSTILL MANUALLY CLEANING? Automatic
ing. "The patient can have
endoscope reprocessors are faster and give
you the assurance that the scope is clean
breakfast the day before," says
every time.
Diane Southern, RN, administrator at the Endoscopy Center of Ocean County and Toms River, N.J.
"This way they don't have to go 2 full days without solid food. They
begin fasting around noon the day before; take half their preparation in
the evening and the rest the next morning, the day of the procedure."
Ms. Southern's centers plan to study which bowel preparation regimens are easiest to follow while providing the best results. She's pretty
confident split preps will come out on top. "We are finding patients'
bowels are even cleaner than with the all-day fasting method and
patients are less reluctant to schedule an afternoon colonoscopy," she
says.
3. Make the most of the pre-procedure phone call. These
calls can prevent surprises on the day of the procedure. In addition to
giving bowel prep instructions and reminding patients about bowel
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2013
