Aims:
To evaluate the effect of fellow's involvement during colonoscopy on examination's quality indicators.
Methods:
Colonoscopyrecords of two consecutive years were retrospectively assessed. We included screening, surveillance and diagnostic examinations; IBD and incomplete (due to obstruction) examinations were excluded. Adenoma detection rate (ADR), mean adenoma per colonoscopy (MAC), cecum intubation rate (CIR) and adverse events (AEs) comprised the endpoints.
Results:
We reviewed 2241 records (50.8% female, age 62 ± 12.9 years), 685 (30.6%), 569 (25.4%) και987 (44%) were screening, surveillance and diagnostic examinations, respectively. A fellow was involved in 1580 (70.5%) of them by performing part or the entire colonoscopy under attending endoscopist's supervision (Group A); the rest were attending-only examinations (Group B). ADR did not differ between the two groups overall [27.8% vs. 26.1% (p = 0.43)] and per indication [27.6% vs. 23.9% (p = 0.29), 37.7% vs. 39.7% (p = 0.65) and 22.5% vs. 17.3% (p = 0.11)] for screening, surveillance and diagnostic examinations, respectively. Similarly, MAC did not differ between groups A and B overall [0.45 ± 0.93 vs. 0.44 ± 0.98 (p = 0.88)] and among the three indications (0.39 ± 0.79 vs. 0.38 ± 0.88; p = 0.87, 0.65 ± 1.1 vs. 0.73 ± 1.2; p = 0.44 and 0.38 ± 0.93 vs. 0.27 ± 0.84; p = 0.12). CIR and AEs did not differ significantly between group A and B [95.3% vs. 94.6% (p = 0.51) and 0.01% vs. 0% (p = 0.52)] respectively.
Conclusions:
In a Greek tertiary center authorized to train fellows, their involvement in colonoscopy does not affect examination's quality indicators.
