Optimizing Endoscopy Procedure Documentation Improves Guideline-Adherent Care in Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Upper GI bleeding (UGIB) is a common indication for inpatient esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Guideline adherence improves post-EGD care, including appropriate medication dosing/duration and follow-up procedures that reduce UGIB-related morbidity. We aimed to optimize and standardize post-EGD documentation to improve process and clinical outcomes in UGIB-related care.

METHODS

We performed a prospective quality improvement study of inpatient UGIB endoscopies at an academic tertiary referral center during 6/2019-7/2021. Guidelines were used to develop etiology/severity-specific electronic health record note templates. Participants (39 faculty/15 trainees) completed 10-min training in template content/use. We collected pre/post-intervention process data on "Minimal Standard Report" (MSR) documentation including patient disposition, diet, and medications. We also recorded documentation of re-bleed precautions and follow-up procedures. Study outcomes included guideline-based medication prescriptions, ordering of follow-up EGD, and post-discharge re-bleeding. Pre/post-intervention analysis was performed using chi-square tests.

RESULTS

From a pre-intervention baseline of 199 patients to 459 patients post-intervention, compliance improved with inpatient PPI (53.4-77.9%, p < 0.001) and discharge PPI (31.3-61.0%, p < 0.001) prescriptions. There was improvement in MSR completion (28.6-42.5%, p < 0.001). Compliance improved with octreotide prescriptions (75.0-93.6%, p = 0.002) and follow-up EGD order (61.3-87.1%, p < 0.001). There was no change in post-discharge re-bleeding. 82.6% of cases used templates.

CONCLUSIONS

Our project leveraged endoscopy software to standardize documentation, resulting in improved clinical care behavior and efficiency. Our intervention required low burden of maintenance, and sustainability with high utilization over 9 months. Similar endoscopy templates can be applied to other health systems and procedures to improve care.

Yield of upper gastrointestinal screening in colonic adenomatous polyposis of unknown etiology: a multicenter study

Background and study aims  The majority of patients with 10 or more cumulative colorectal adenomas have uninformative genetic testing and meet criteria for colonic adenomatous polyposis of unknown etiology (CPUE). The yield of upper gastrointestinal screening in patients with CPUE after multi-gene panel testing is unknown and our objective was to characterize this. Patient and methods  A multicenter, retrospective analysis of screening upper endoscopies in adults with CPUE after multi-gene panel testing was performed. Those with a history of gastroduodenal neoplasia prior to CPUE diagnosis were excluded. Demographic and clinical variables were collected and compared. Results  One hundred and twenty-eight patients with CPUE were included from five participating centers. Nine (7.0 %) had gastroduodenal neoplasia on initial screening upper endoscopy. Those with over 100 colorectal adenomas had a significantly higher rate of gastroduodenal neoplasia than those with 20-99 or 10-19 colorectal adenomas (44.4 % vs 4.1 % vs 4.4 %, P  = 0.002). Similar results were seen when the analysis was restricted to only duodenal or ampullary adenomas. The only malignancy was a gastric cancer in a patient with 20 to 99 colorectal adenomas. When comparing patients with gastroduodenal neoplasia to those without, the only significantly different characteristic was the cumulative number of colorectal adenomas. Conclusions  We found a 7 % rate of gastroduodenal neoplasia in patients with CPUE after multi-gene panel testing. Although patients with ≥ 100 colorectal adenomas had a significantly higher risk, over 4 % of patients with 10 to 99 colorectal adenomas had gastroduodenal neoplasia. Given this, we recommend a screening upper endoscopy at the time of a colonoscopy after CPUE diagnosis.

Primary Care Provider Knowledge and Practice in Risk Assessment for Early Age Onset Colorectal Cancer: Opportunities for Improvement

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality are rising in individuals under age 50, termed early age onset (EAO) CRC. Lower endoscopy is recommended for all patients with unexplained iron deficiency anemia (IDA) or hematochezia to assess the EAO-CRC. For those without symptoms, professional societies recommend decreasing the age to start screening from 50 to 45. Primary care provider (PCP) knowledge and practices around EAO-CRC risk assessment and screening are unknown. We conducted a survey study in May, 2020 of multi-specialty PCPs from three large medical systems to assess PCP knowledge, risk stratification practices and barriers/facilitators they face to offer CRC screening in patients < 50. We conducted univariate analysis to assess factors associated with knowledge and diagnostic practices. Response rate was 27.7% (196/708). Although 77.6% of respondents were aware that EAO-CRC incidence is increasing, only 42.9% knew that EAO-CRC mortality is also increasing. Of note, 91.8% recommend starting average risk screening at age 50. For 40- to 49-year-old patients present with unexplained IDA or hematochezia, 71.9% and 50.5% of respondents, respectively, recommend a diagnostic colonoscopy. Trainees were less likely to be aware of rising EAO-CRC mortality (odds ratio, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.82) and non-internal medicine providers were less likely to recommend CRC screening in those with a first-degree relative with CRC (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72 to 0.93). Ongoing education efforts will be required to improve recognition and management of high-risk symptoms, particularly among non-internists and trainees.