BACKGROUND: A complete cleansing of the bowel is a critical factor that impacts the diagnostic accuracy of colonoscopies. However, the common bowel preparation regimen of two 45 mL doses of sodium phosphate (2×NaP) often leads to uncomfortable symptoms and subsequently lower patient adherence. To improve patient adherence and satisfaction, we proposed a modified regimen composed of two sennoside tablets and one bottle of NaP (S+NaP) and we then evaluated bowel preparation quality and patient satisfaction.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 531 patients who underwent colonoscopies at the outpatient coloproctology clinic from January 2016 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Eligible patients were divided into two groups: S+NaP group (n=93) and 2×NaP group (n=60). We compared bowel preparation quality, adenoma detection rate (ADR), self-reported patient satisfaction scores, and adverse events among the two groups.

RESULTS: Regarding high bowel preparation quality, our results showed that there was no significant difference among the two groups (p=0.775), as well as no significant differences in ADRs (p=0.187). However, a lower proportion of nausea was found in the S+NaP group compared to the 2×NaP group (24.7% versus 41.7%, respectively, p=0.028). In addition, patients in the S+NaP group were more likely to be very satisfied with the regimen compared with patients in the 2×NaP group (odds ratio: 5.58; 95% confidence interval: 2.36–13.213, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Our modified bowel preparation regimen, S+NaP, yielded significantly higher patient satisfaction with less nausea while maintaining similar bowel preparation quality.

Keywords: Colonoscopy, laxatives, Patient Satisfaction