Watching Instructional Video About Colonoscopy Improves Screening Attendance

A colonoscopy is an internal examination of the large intestine (colon) and rectum with an instrument called a colonoscope. The colonoscope is a medical instrument that has a small camera attached to a flexible tube that can reach and examine the entire length of the colon. The purpose of a colonoscopy is to provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.

Colonoscopy can remove polyps as small as one millimetre or less. Once polyps are removed, they can be studied with the aid of a microscope to determine if they are precancerous or not. A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane, particularly the linings of internal organs along cavities.

The American Cancer Society recommends having a colonoscopy beginning at age 50. Men and women are suggested to follow any of these four testing schedules for screening to find colon polyps and cancer:

1. Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
2. Colonoscopy every 10 years
3. Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
4. CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years

Web-based video enhances patient compliance with cancer screening

Patients who watch an online instructional video are more likely to keep their appointments and arrive prepared for a scheduled colonoscopy than those who do not, according to a study by gastroenterologists at the University of Chicago Medicine.

The study, presented at the 2012 annual Digestive Diseases Week meeting in San Diego, CA, found that among patients age 50 to 65 – the primary target for colon cancer screening – those who watched the video were 40 percent less likely to cancel an appointment. That suggests many more cancers could be prevented or detected and treated early if more thorough instruction were given.