title: Quality assurance for gastrointestinal endoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review concerns quality assurance for gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, especially colonoscopy and will emphasize research and guidelines published since January 2011. Important articles from previous years have been included for background.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Critical lapses in endoscope processing and administration of intravenous sedation alerted us to the infection risk of endoscopy. Increases in cost of colonoscopy, evidence for overuse and studies demonstrating missed cancers have led some to question the value of endoscopy. Despite these setbacks, the National Polyp Study (NPS) consortium published their long-term follow-up of the original NPS patients and confirmed that colonoscopy with polyp removal can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer for an extended period. In this article, we will focus on ways to improve the value of outpatient colonoscopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The United States national quality improvement agenda recently became organized into a more coordinated effort spearheaded by several public and private entities. They comprise the infrastructure by which performance measures are developed and implemented as accountability standards. Understanding wherein a gastroenterology (GI) practice fits into this infrastructure and learning ways we can improve our endoscopic practice is important for physicians who provide this vital service to patients. This article will provide a roadmap for developing a quality assurance program for endoscopic practice.
authors: Minnesota Gastroenterology PA and University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55437, USA. jallen@mngastro.com
authors: John I
authors: JI
authors: Allen
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care