Improving Bowel Cleansing With a Smart Phone Application

Vicente Lorenzo-Zúñiga García

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Cathartics; Mobile Applications

Treatments: Device: Smart Phone Application; Device: Written instructions with visual aids

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02303743

CEI071114

Details and patient eligibility

About

Getting ready for a colonoscopy is difficult and involves a lot of steps. The information given to patients is very important to adherence to treatment. The investigators have created a novel smart phone application (SPA) aimed to increased bowel preparation quality and patient satisfaction, using different educational tools.

Full description

Background: Getting ready for a colonoscopy is difficult and involves a lot of steps. The information given to patients is very important to adherence to treatment. The investigators have created a novel smart phone application (SPA) aimed to increased bowel preparation quality and patient satisfaction, using different educational tools.

Methods: The investigators have performed a prospective, endoscopist-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. The investigators have enrolled 260 outpatients owners of a smartphone. Patients were randomly allocated to two different protocols: instructions provided by SPA (SPA group; n=108) or written instructions with visual aids (control group; n=152). All procedures were performed in afternoon time and patients received the same purgative regimen (2-L PEG solution plus ascorbic acid), in a full-dose same-day regimen. The day before colonoscopy (Baseline), patients initiated low fiber diet. The study was designed to detect an improvement in quality of bowel preparation using the Harefield Cleansing Scale (HCS) scale. The effect of protocol on patient satisfaction was assessed with a specific questionnaire at time of the colonoscopy.

Enrollment: 260 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Elective colonoscopy
• Owners of a smartphone

Exclusion criteria

• No owners of a smartphone

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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260 participants in 2 patient groups

Smart Phone Application (SPA) Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Patients assigned to SPA group were instructed on how to free-download the application onto their smartphone. Each patient enters the date and time of his colonoscopy and timed alerts appeared on the phone to alert the patient of the next step in bowel preparation. In addition to the alerts, the app assists in bowel preparation by explaining the procedure, providing tips, examples of low fiber diet, and displaying pictures of preparation quality and educational video to explain how to prepare the purgative solution.Finally, the patient can obtain a checklist to confirm all steps.

Treatment:

Device: Smart Phone Application

Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Written instructions with visual aids explaining the procedure and when to begin self-administration of the bowel solution

Treatment:

Device: Written instructions with visual aids