Development and Implementation of an Evidence-Based Guideline for Spinal Cord Injury/Disorder Patients Requiring Colonoscopy

Abstract

Practice Problem: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of preventable cancer death in the United States. Spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) patients present with unique challenges for maximizing bowel prep and successful attainment of screening and therapeutic colonoscopy procedures. Current practice for bowel prep regimen does not take into consideration the specific needs of the SCI/D population resulting in significant patient dissatisfaction. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was in adult patients with spinal cord injuries/disorders requiring colonoscopy (P), how does the development and implementation of evidence-based guideline for the care of the spinal cord injury/disorder patient requiring colonoscopy (I) compared to usual practice (C) affect the rate of first attempt successful colonoscopy procedure completion (O) within eight weeks (T). Evidence: SCI/D patients resulting neurogenic bowel increases difficulty with standard bowel prep tolerance. Quality bowel preparation is required for successful colonoscopy with inadequate bowel preparations present in 20-25% of all colonoscopies (Johnson et al., 2014). Evidence supports a clinical guideline for bowel preparation adapted to the needs of the SCI/D population. Intervention: Development and implementation of an SCI/D bowel prep guideline enhanced clinical decision support and evidence-based tools for improved bowel prep with initial attempt. Outcome: The rate of first-time colonoscopies for patients with SCI/D with the guideline improved by over 214% over pre-guideline time. Conclusion: The evidenced-based guideline reinforced clinical practice for the SCI/D population related to their unique requirements. Clinically significant improvement was noted in successful bowel prep completion, first attempt colonoscopy completion, improved access to the endoscopy suite, and reduced length of stay. All combined improved both patient and provider satisfaction with the evidence-based practice change.