Meet Cathy

She’s an endoscopy technician with over 30 years of experience. She loves her job, but not the pain and injuries that come along with it.

Topics: colonoscopy, nurse injury, difficult colonoscopy, abdominal pressure colonoscopy, endoscopy nursing, safe patient handling, patient, nursing, endoscopy, nurse

Lynch syndrome is one of the most common hereditary cancer syndromes and the most common cause of inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Unites States. An estimated one out of every 300 people could be a carrier. Given these statistics, it would seem that if testing is readily available (it is) and affordable (it is), it should be routinely performed (it isn’t).

Topics: colonoscopy, colon cancer, cancer, inherited, LS, Lynch syndrome, CRC, colorectal cancer, gastroenterologist

 

Topics: colorectal cancer, CRC, colonoscopy, screening, cecal intubation time, gastroenterologist, GI nursing, endoscopy, ADR, endoscopist

Beginning in 2004, the U.S. Surgeon General designated Thanksgiving National Family Health History Day. What does that mean for you? It’s pretty simple; as you gather with your relatives for the holiday, whether in person or virtually, take time talk about and document health problems that run in your family. (Note that although this blog post focuses on gathering information related to colorectal cancer [CRC], the guidelines apply to any health condition, from diabetes to breast cancer.)

Topics: colorectal cancer, CRC, colonoscopy, screening, adenoma, polyp

Waiting is hating

Americans hate to wait, whether it’s for food, Internet connectivity, or a green light. So it should come as no surprise that the more time patients spend waiting to see a physician, the more dissatisfied they are. What might be surprising is that longer wait times have a negative impact on other, potentially more consequential aspects of the patient experience, specifically patients’ confidence in their physician and how they perceive their quality of care.

Topics: colorectal cancer, CRC, colonoscopy, screening, ColoWrap, cecal intubation time, patient experience, hospital costs, tortuous colon, gastroenterologist, endoscopy nursing, GI nursing, endoscopist, looping in colonoscopy, healthcare costs, difficult colonoscopy, endoscopy

A recently published study in Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research found that use of ColoWrap significantly enhanced adenoma detection in obese patients, females, and patients 60 and older. In addition, ColoWrap was associated with increased polyp and sessile serrated polyp (SSP) detection in the cecum and ascending colon across all patients in the study. These findings provide substantial additional support for the utility of ColoWrap as a tool to improve colonoscopy quality, particularly for patients at-risk for a difficult colonoscopy due to a tortuous, redundant colon or body habitus.

Topics: colorectal cancer, CRC, colonoscopy, screening, ADR, adenoma, SSA, SSP, sessile serrated polyp, ColoWrap

Research consistently shows that the adenoma detection rate (ADR) is higher the more time spent withdrawing the scope. In fact, a presentation at the 2018 meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology indicated a significantly higher adenoma detection rate when the withdrawal time in the right colon was greater than three minutes. The reverse is true as well; in a review of 76,810 screening colonoscopies, faster withdrawal times were independently associated with lower ADRs.

Topics: gastroenterologist, colorectal cancer, CRC, endoscopist, adenoma, endocopy, tortuous colon, difficult colonoscopy, abdominal pressure colonoscopy, looping in colonoscopy, cecal intubation time, withdrawal time

 

 All physicians want to provide superior care for their patients, but practicing medicine today can be complicated. In the last decade, doctors have been tasked with navigating new technologies, government mandates, and payment guidelines, all of which can detract from caring for patients.

Topics: gastroenterologist, colorectal cancer, CRC, endoscopist, adenoma, endocopy, women in GI, patient experience, nurse injury, GI injury, injury endoscopist, tortuous colon, difficult colonoscopy, bowel prep colonoscopy, abdominal pressure colonoscopy, looping in colonoscopy, safe patient hadling, screening

I attended ACG 2018 to represent my company whose mission is to make colonoscopy easier, safer, and more effective . I am also the daughter of a Stage IV colon cancer survivor and watched as my father underwent chemo, numerous surgeries, and immeasurable mental and physical stress. Both professionally and personally, promoting colonoscopy is high on my priority list. It is through these lenses that I experienced the conference.

Topics: gastroenterologist, colorectal cancer, CRC, endoscopist, adenoma, endocopy, ACG 2018, ACG 2018 Annual Conference, #ACG2018, GYRIG, Healio

Sure you can plan for and participate in American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2018 by printing out and marking up the program, but why not make it easier on yourself? The ACG 2018 Meeting app is included in your registration fees. Once you register for the conference, you will receive an email with your login information and instructions for accessing the app. If you don’t get this email or if you have questions, you can contact tech support, and they will promptly help you out (I speak from experience). Before or after the meeting, you can call 877-426‐6323, or send an email to support@cadmiumcd.com. During  the conference, you can visit a help desk in the registration area to address any issues you might have.

Topics: gastroenterologist, ACG 2018, ACG 2018 Annual Conference, #ACG2018, app, networking