Sedated versus conventional colonoscopy:a prospective study on patient acceptability and satisfaction

Objective To compare the clinical choosing principles of sedated colonoscopy with con-ventional colonoscopy. Methods Outpatients who were willing to accept colonoscopy with or without seda-tion were prospectively recruited,which were assigned to sedated colonoscopy group(n=362)and conven-tional colonoscopy group(n=323). All patients and endoscopists were asked to answer a self-administered questionnaire. The colonoscopy completion,operation time,procedure-related discomfort,and questionnaire results of the two groups were compared and statistically analyzed. Results The completion rate was 98. 9%in the sedated colonoscopy group(358/362)and 89. 8% in the conventional colonoscopy group(290/323) ( P=0. 337 ). The operation time of sedated and conventional group were( 5. 60 ± 3. 25 ) minutes and (7. 71 ± 5. 70)minutes respectively(P<0. 001). And the average cost was CNY 886. 54 per patient in se-dated group and CNY 386. 00 per patient in the conventional group. Patient satisfaction score of conventional group and sedated group were 4(3-4)and 3(2-3)points(P<0. 001),while endoscopist satisfaction score was 4(3-4)and 4(4-4)(P<0. 001). A total of 354 patients(97. 79%)in the sedated group and 225 pa-tients(69. 66%)in the conventional group showed willingness to repeat the identical colonoscopy( P <0. 001). Patients who were male(P=0. 035),having no past abdominal operations(P<0. 001),or no ab-dominal pain during colonoscopy( P =0. 015 )in the conventional group preferred to repeat conventional colonoscopy. Conclusion Although the examination time of conventional colonoscopy is longer than sedated colonoscopy,it could reduce anesthesia risk and the cost. Conventional colonoscopy remains an irreplaceable examination of colorectal diseases in developing countries. Physicians should not only focus on patients'com-fort during endoscopy,but also help patients make a decision based on their actual situation and endoscopic indications to make the best of medical resources. Key words: Colonoscopy ;  Toleration ;  Patient satisfaction ;