PLENVU 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
PLENVU 1 - A survey to explore patient attitudes to altering the dose timings of bowel preparation prior to morning colonoscopy.
IRAS ID
263845
Contact name
Joanne Dash
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is sometimes difficult to get a ‘clean bowel’ in patients having a morning colonoscopy (camera inserted into the rectum to look at the bowel). Having a clear view of the bowel wall is important so that the doctor/nurse can see any changes in the tissues, which might indicate diseases such as cancers. These changes may be tiny, so even the smallest amount of faeces (poo) left in the bowel could potentially hide something important like a polyp or a cancer.
If the bowel is not empty and clean enough, the colonoscopy may have to be cancelled and repeated at a later date which is inconvenient for the patient and means they will have to possibly wait longer to get the treatment they need. Having faeces still in the bowel also makes the colonoscopy longer and more difficult and can make it more uncomfortable for the patient. We find that this happens more often in patients having a colonoscopy in the morning. One cause of this could be the timing of the drink that the patients take before the colonoscopy to clean the bowel – the bowel preparation.
Studies have shown that having a smaller window of time between finishing bowel preparation and having a colonoscopy results in a much cleaner bowel. Studies have also shown that split dose bowel preparation (taking half the bowel preparation the day before and half on the day of the colonoscopy) compared to taking the bowel preparation the day before results in a cleaner bowel. However, these studies were focused on colonoscopies done in the afternoon.
There have been no studies that have explored the patients preferred options for taking bowel preparation before morning colonoscopies. We need to know what patients think before we decide to change the way that bowel preparation is taken so that we can get a cleaner bowel in more patients. The aim of this study is to explore patient attitudes to altering the timings of bowel preparation prior to a morning colonoscopy. The study will be undertaken in the endoscopy unit at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.
We will ask participants to complete a questionnaire asking for their preferences on times to take bowel preparation. A patient information sheet will be given explaining the importance and advantages of good bowel cleansing first. If the participant wishes to take part written consent will be obtained prior to filling out the questionnaire.
The questionnaire includes some questions about the patient (eg. Age, occupation) followed by three timing regimes the participant will be asked to rank in order of their preference. Participants will then be asked to explain their reasons for the first choice of timings and what aspects of the schedules they would find difficult.
We will be asking 150 participants who have previously had bowel preparation for colonoscopy and 150 participants who have not had bowel preparation to take part. We will ask half of each group who are attending in the morning and half in the afternoon. This will enable a good cross section of patients to be included.
This study aims to establish patient preferences for bowel preparation timings, reasons for preferences and any potential barriers. The information gathered will help us understand how we can work with patients to improve bowel cleansing prior to a morning colonoscopy and ultimately improve polyp and cancer detection rates.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NW/0768
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion