- Leatha French
- Spring 2026
- NURS 495 Advanced Practicum
Catherine Van Son, PhD, RN, ANEF, FGSA, FAAN
Abstract
Rates of poor bowel preparation in patients undergoing endoscopic procedures have been reported between 15% and 30% (Anderson et al., 2023; Sirinawasatien et al., 2022). Consequences of inadequate preparation include missed lesions, increased procedure time and cost, and repeat procedures. Recent literature supports the intervention of split-dose bowel regimens and increased patient education to improve bowel preparation quality (Anderson et al., 2023; Sirinawasatien et al., 2022).
The goal of this Quality Improvement project was to decrease the amount of patients with inadequate bowel preparation by implementing an evidence-based intervention to promote patient compliance and improve bowel preparation before endoscopy procedures. Peer-reviewed literature published in the past five years was gathered from databases including PubMed and CINAHL. Search terms included ‘bowel preparation,’ ‘colonoscopy,’ ‘patient education,’ and ‘split-dose regimen.’
Evidence was compiled to determine best practice. Available resources and staff were consulted informally. Current bowel preparation processes were analyzed to identify standardized evidence-based practices that are patient centered.
Results from the literature search prove that standardized bowel preparations paired with patient education simplified will improve patient outcomes. Evidence-based literature shows that split dose polyethylene glycol regimens improve cleanliness of the bowel and procedural success. Standardization of these protocols should be implemented into practice.
The next steps for this QI project include implementing this practice change and evaluating its success while continuing to provide staff education.
References
Anderson, J. C., Butterly, L. F., Weiss, J. E., & Goodrich, M. (2023). Providing effective patient education to improve colonoscopy bowel preparation quality: A systematic review. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 97(2), 245–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gie.2022.08.012
Sirinawasatien, A., et al. (2022). Bowel preparation using 2-L split-dose polyethylene glycol improves colonoscopy outcomes. Clinical Endoscopy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9482745/
