Making every colonoscopy count: Ensuring quality in endoscopy.
The last few years have seen a burgeoning interest in the measurement of clinical performance and its impact on quality standards. The advent of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program has highlighted the many deficiencies that exist in the provision of colonoscopy services in Australia. These include the absence of an agreed tool to measure the quality of colonoscopy on either an individual, departmental or regional basis and the absence of an endoscopic or colonoscopy training curriculum or an agreed standard for colonoscopy trainers. This review will discuss the current status and shortfalls of measuring quality in colonoscopy, highlight some recent initiatives by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia and articulate a direction for the future.
Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Suite 106a 151 Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. michael@citywestgastro.com.au
Michael J
MJ
Bourke
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards